Commonly Confused Words: Affect and Effect

Here’s the problem with “affect” and “effect”: When we say them out loud, they often sound like the exact same word. Because we don’t get to practice differentiating them in our speech, when it comes time to write them down, we might suddenly realize that we don’t really know the difference between the two words. Do we need an “a” or an “e”? What even is the difference between these two words, and do we actually need both of them? Let’s get into it.

Both “affect” and “effect” have to do with actions and consequences.

Usually, “affect” is used as a verb and “effect” is a noun. That’s not the case 100% of the time (unfortunately, things get a little complicated, but I’ll explain that in a minute), but it’s probably true a solid 90% of the time, so if you know this important distinction, you’ll usually be right.

Affect (Verb)

“Affect” as a verb means to produce an effect on something or influence it. To affect something means to act on it or change it in some way.

The cheerful mice affected Cinderella’s mood for the better.

The Fairy Godmother’s magic was affecting the pumpkins in a strange way.

One way to remember this is to think that the “a” in “affect” also stands for “action.” To affect something is to act upon it somehow.

“Affect” has another meaning as a verb, though this one isn’t used nearly as often in everyday language as the previous meaning. To “affect” can also mean to put on a false appearance or pretense.

Cinderella’s evil stepmother affected a kind tone and generous manner when the prince came to visit.

We know that Cinderella’s stepmother is actually cruel and rude, so her kind tone was affected, meaning it was a false pretense.

Effect (Noun)

“Effect” is most commonly used as a noun that means “result.”

The effect of her evil stepsisters’ actions was a ruined gown.

The evil stepsisters affected the gown by tearing it, and the effect was the ruined gown.

When Cinderella appeared, the effect on the prince was instantaneous: he was in love.

Cinderella’s appearance affected the prince, and the effect was that he fell in love. “Affecting” is the action and the “effect” is the result.

Cinderella running away from the ball had the effect of the prince starting a search to find her.

The action was Cinderella running away; the result—or effect—was that the prince started a search.

We can see that “affect” and “effect”—though distinct words—are still semantically linked. If you affect something, the result of that action is an effect.

Here’s Where Things Get Tricky

Technically, “affect” can also be used as a noun and “effect” can be used as a verb. The meanings don’t just swap, though: they’re a little bit different and still distinct.

Affect (Noun)

“Affect” as a noun is almost exclusively used in psychology; you won’t hear this used in everyday conversation. According to Merriam-Webster, an “affect” is “a set of observable manifestations of an experienced emotion” or “the facial expressions, gestures, postures, vocal intonations, etc., that typically accompany an emotion.”

Trying to cheer Cinderella up, the mice put on a joyful affect.

To be completely candid, you probably don’t even need to know that because it’s used so rarely outside of a psychological setting.

Effect (Verb)

“Effect” as a verb is much more common than “affect” as a noun. To “effect” something means “to bring it about.” “Effect” as a verb goes a step further than “affect”: “affect” means merely to influence or change something; “effect” means an actual achievement of a result.

According to Grammarly, “For the verb ‘affect,’ the direct object is the thing being impacted or influenced. For the verb ‘effect,’ the direct object is the thing being brought about.”

The Fairy Godmother effected an amazing transformation of Cinderella’s dress.

The Godmother affected the dress (the thing being impacted or influenced), but she effected the transformation (the thing being brought about).

The prince effected a new law stating that stepmothers must be kind to their stepdaughters.

The prince didn’t just change or influence a law; he actually brought one into being and achieved the result of a brand-new law, hence the use of “effect” rather than “affect.”

I made this handy chart for you so you can see all the different meanings of the words. The ones highlighted in yellow are the most common usages for each word.

This post was the result of an awesome reader request! If you have any questions about grammar or if there’s any word that seems to just keep tripping you up, let me know by DM-ing me on Instagram (@strictly__speaking with two underscores) or commenting on any post, and I’ll be sure to get a post up for you ASAP!

Sources:

• “America’s Most Trusted Dictionary.” Merriam-Webster. Accessed August 7, 2024. https://www.merriam-webster.com/.
• Ebbitt, D. R., and W. R. Ebbitt. Index to English. 8th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.
• Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage. 14th ed. Taunton, MA: QuadGraphics, 2016.
• Underwood, Alice E. M. “‘Affect’ vs. ‘Effect’: What’s the Difference?” Grammarly, December 7, 2023. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/affect-vs-effect/#:~:text=Effect%20as%20a%20verb%20means%20to%20directly%20achieve%20or%20bring,to%20put%20on%20a%20pretense.