Affect vs. Effect

Homophones are one of the many banes of the English language. Pronounced the same but with different spellings and meanings, homophones are easy to confuse. And some cases are worse than others. Most of us know the difference between ‘eye’ and ‘I’. But even seasoned writers are sometimes tripped up by other pairs, like ‘affect’ and ‘effect’. They sound the same, and there’s just a single vowel difference; you’d be forgiven for thinking the two words were interchangeable. But in fact, there’s a simple rule that distinguishes when to use affect vs. effect.

What Does Effect Mean?

Effect’ is a noun meaning ‘consequence’ or ‘result of an action’. For instance, you might say, “The effect of her hard studying was a good grade.” Or, “The economic boom was the effect of sound monetary policy by the federal government.”

What Does Affect Mean?

Affect’ is a verb meaning ‘to have an effect on’ or ‘make a difference to.’ For instance, you might say, “Her parents’ divorce really affected her.” Or, “The number of snow days affected whether school would end in May or August.”

Tips to Remember Affect vs. Effect

The biggest difference between ‘affect’ and ‘effect’ is that ‘affect’ is usually a verb and ‘effect’ is usually a noun. One easy way to remember this is to remember that Affect designates an Action. This can help you remember which letter, and word, to use when you’re tripped up!

If you’re stuck, try swapping out other words in the sentence. For instance, every time you use ‘effect,’ you should be able to replace it with ‘consequence’ and still retain the meaning of the sentence. Likewise, switching out ‘affect’ for ‘alter’ or ‘change’ should also always work. If you make the switch and the sentence sounds wrong, then you might have used the wrong homophone.

Exceptions to The Rule

Of course, the English language can never make things easy, and there are a few more twists to this story. ‘Affect’ is usually a verb, and ‘effect’ is usually a noun, but there are exceptions to both rules. 

Though ‘effect’ is normally a noun meaning ‘consequence’, it can also sometimes be used as a verb meaning ‘cause something to happen’ or ‘bring about.’ For instance, you might say “The vaccine effected a cure for the disease.”

Similarly, though ‘affect’ is normally used as a verb meaning ‘to have an effect on,’ it can also be used as a noun to describe an ‘emotion or desire’. For instance, you could say, “She had a very depressed affect after her dog died.”

However, both of these usages are somewhat formal and rather unusual. ‘Effect’ is very rarely used as a verb in modern language, and ‘affect’ is usually only used as a noun within scientific, psychological circles. So when in doubt on when to use affect vs. effect, follow the Affect/Action rule.

Test Yourself on Affect vs. Effect!

The best way to make sure you understand a rule is to practice! Below are ten sentences for you to test your knowledge of affect vs. effect. Enter the correct word on the blank line. Below the quiz is an answer key to check your work. If you’ve gotten a few wrong, review the rules and try again!

  1. She was greatly _____ by the movie.
  2. The _____ of the heavy rains was flooding so bad that it ruined the barn.
  3. The fire had the _____ of removing dead detritus and giving space for new plants to grow.
  4. She thought it wouldn’t make much of a difference, but the extra fifteen minutes of study-time each night really _____ her test scores.
  5. He made sure to warn her son about the potentially dangerous _____ of chocolate for dogs.
  6. She was surprised to realize that her parents’ move across the country didn’t really have an _____ on her life.
  7. They were very ______ by climate change.
  8. The car accident had a huge _____ on her.
  9. For some reason, dying his hair red really _______ how he acted around other people.
  10. The sugar really ______ the kids, and made them very hyper!

Answer Key for Affect vs. Effect

1. Affected; 2. Effect; 3. Effect; 4. Affected; 5. Effects; 6. Effect; 7. Affected; 8. Effect; 9. Affected; 10. Affected

Feedback

Was this blog post helpful for you? Do you still have questions about affect and effect, or do you have questions about other homophones or commonly mixed-up words? Let us know in the comments and we might be able to create a post about it! Or check out our past grammatical blog posts, including our Their, There, and They’re blog post.

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