Affect vs Effect: Find out the Differences Between these Two Words

Affect vs Effect is one of the most confusing English words. Even many native English speakers struggle with when to use affect or effect. To further compound the confusion, effect and affect both have noun and verb forms that are commonly used.

Not to worry! Keep on reading for all the details you need to know about effect vs affect and you’ll have them straight in no time at all.

Effect vs Affect

Most people say the “a” and “e” at the beginning of the words quite distinctly so it’s easy to distinguish between these two words.

Effect can have either a soft or hard “e.” “ef-fect” or “ee-fect.”

Affect (as a verb)

A verb that means to act on or produce change in. Or to change someone’s feelings.

Tip: Use “affect” if you could replace it with the verbs “hurt” or “impact.” See the first sentence (The cold weather HURTS/IMPACTS my knees).

Examples: 

• The cold weather affects my knees.
• That music really affected me. It was so angry.
• Covid-19 affected my business in a negative way.
• How much you study will affect your grades.

Affect (as a noun)

Can also be a noun (less common than as a verb). Used in psychology to talk about emotion or desire.

Examples: 

• Joe’s body language generally shows no affect. He’s difficult to read.
• She has a negative affect about her.
• Tommy took the news about getting transferred to Chicago with little affect.

Effect (as a noun)

A noun that means result or consequence.

Tip: Use “effect” if you could replace it with the noun consequence. See the first sentence (What CONSEQUENCE did Covid-19 have on your business?).

Examples:

• What effect did Covid-19 have on your business?
• Video games have a negative effect on teenagers.
• You won’t notice the effect of the medication until a few days later.
• Painting your room a dark color will often have the effect of making it look smaller.

Effect (as a verb)

Less commonly used as a verb that means to cause something to happen or to accomplish something.

Examples: 

• She effected many positive changes in her students.
• I hope to effect change in my new role at this company.

In full Effect Meaning

You will often see the phrase ‘in full effect’. Sometimes words have a slightly different meaning when it is used in a phrase.

Possible meanings of ‘in full effect’: extreme, intense, fully implemented, fully functional, into force, or to be at your best.

Affect Synonym

List of words that mean the same as ‘affect’:

• alter
• change
• disturb
• influence
• interest
• involve
• touch
• upset

Effect Synonym

List of words that have a similar meaning as ‘effect’:

• consequence
• event
• fallout
• issue
• outcome
• reaction
• response
• side effect
• aftereffect
• aftermath

Affect vs Effect Practice

1. How were your children _____ by the pandemic?
2. Hiring someone will have a big _____ on how much free time you have.
3. I’m so _____ by the weather, especially gloomy, rainy days.
4. I hope to _____ positive change in my role as volunteer coordinator.
5. There are a number of _____ that resulted from that decision Ted made.
6. For my dissertation, I’m going to do some research on the _____ of education levels on vaccination rates.
7. His teacher really had a positive _____ on Ted this year.
8. Does Tom have a positive or negative overall _____?

Answers

1. affected
2. effect
3. affected
4. effect
5. effects
6. effects
7. effect
8. affect

Effect vs Affect Worksheet for ESL

Check out the list of useful effect vs affect worksheets for ESL students. Practice and exercise using effect vs affect. You will be able to master it!

• St.Cloud State Affect vs Effect Worksheet
• Purdue OWL Affect/Effect Spelling Exercise
• ASU Affect vs Effect Grammar Practice

Other Confusing English Words

Check out some of the most confusing words in English:

• adverse vs averse
• excess vs access
• except vs accept 
• advice vs advise
• already vs all ready

Want to Find Out More Confusing English Words?

You can find hundreds of confusing English words and word pairs in this book: Most Confusing Words in English Explained. Pick up a copy and ace your next TOEFL, TOEIC, or IELTS exam! Find out everything you need to know about it right here:

FAQs About Affect vs Effect

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about the grammar confusion between affect and effect.

Is it affect me or effect me?

If something is impacting you, it is ‘affect me’. The bad weather affected my schedule. It is ‘affect’ because the weather had an impact on my schedule or had changed something.

How do you remember affect vs effect?

There is a simple trick. Affect starts with ‘A’, which stands for action. Effect is the result of that action. ‘E’ stands for the end result. Although affect and effect can both be used as verbs and nouns, this simple trick is good enough to remember the general and the most common use of affect vs effect.

Are you affected or effected by COVID?

Covid is the action (affect), not the end result (effect). Something affects you when it has an impact on you. COVID caused changes to our lives, so it is the correct word choice is ‘affected’. We are all affected by COVID.

Affect or Effect: Join the Conversation

Do you have any tips or tricks for remembering the grammatical differences between these two words and their various forms? Leave a comment below and let us know. We’d really appreciate it.

Last update on 2023-09-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API