Their definitions are related, too.Īccording to Merriam-Webster, affect means “to produce an effect upon.” Effect is, well, that effect (or, in clearer terms, “a change that results when something is done or happens”). One of the most notorious examples is affect and effect-and not just because their spellings only differ by a single letter. When you think of this phrase, the effect of, you will know that effect is a noun, because only nouns can be preceded by the article “the.”Īlso the ends in the letter e, and effect begins with the letter e, so these two words must go together: th e effect.The English language is populated with so many confusingly similar word pairs that even professional writers slip up sometimes. The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (the title of a famous American play).The effect of the economy on presidential politics.Think of the common phrase the effect of, as in: Here are two tricks you can use to remember which of these two words is the noun that means "a change," and which is the verb that causes change. This medication may affect your ability to drive a car or operate machinery.We learned about the way the oceans are affected by the moon.His decisions could affect the lives of millions of people.Computers have had a significant effect on our lives.Īffect is almost always used as a verb, to mean “cause a change in someone or something.” Here are some example sentences with the verb affect:.The defeat had a terrible effect on the team's spirits.Here are some example sentences with the noun effect: However, in terms of how they are actually used, there are some big differences:Įffect is mostly used as a noun, to refer to a change that results when something is done or happens. Many of us have difficult remembering the difference between these two words, because they look almost the same, they have very similar meanings, and they both have noun and verb forms. Calvin, in the US, asked about the difference between affect and effect.
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