Difference Between Affect and Effect

Affect and Effect are homonyms, in which there is just one difference in their spellings, i.e. in their first letter, but when you go through their meanings, you will find that the difference between them is not slight. The term ‘affect’ is most commonly used as a verb which means “to influence” or “to change”.

On the other hand, the word ‘effect’ is primarily used as a noun and means “consequence”, “aftermath”, “result of an action” or “reaction”. Nevertheless, both can be used as a noun and also as a verb, and so it is needless to say that their meanings differ when they are used as different parts of speech.

Let’s look at these examples to understand the difference correctly:

• Increase in the sales of the product is the effect of an advertisement, as it affects the minds of people sharply.

Here, in this example, an increase in sales is the consequence of paid advertisement because it creates an impression in the minds of people. Now, let’s discuss some other differences between affect and effect.

Content: Affect Vs Effect

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Examples
5. How to remember the difference

Comparison Chart

Basis for Comparison	Affect	Effect
Meaning	Affect means to influence or make an impact on someone or something.	Effect refers to a change, i.e. a consequence of an action.
Reflects	As a result of	Result
Etymology	It is derived from a Latin term 'afficere'.	It is derived from a Latin term 'efficere'.
Pronunciation	əˈfɛkt	ɪˈfɛkt
Syllabification	af·fect	ef·fect
Usage as verb	Affect as a verb means 'to result in change in someway'.	Effect as a verb means 'to bring about' or 'to realize'.
Usage as noun	Affect as a noun, can be used to show emotions.	Effect as a noun, means result or impact
Examples	The concert has greatly affected me.	The concert had a great effect on me.

Definition of Affect

The word ‘affect’ simply means ‘influence’ or ‘impact’ that can make a difference or change in someone or something. It can be used both as a noun and as a verb, but mainly used as a verb, because it is an action word which tends to cause a change in something. Now we’ll discuss where to use affect in our sentences:

1. To have an impact on a person or thing:
   • Due to heavy floods, transportation is badly affected.
   • The disease affected many people in Japan.
2. To pretend or impress someone or develop feelings:
   • His dance was so good, that she was deeply affected.
3. In the medical and psychological discipline, it is used as a noun to show a person’s moods, feelings and emotions:
   • Monika’s mood was badly affected after his father scolded her.

Definition of Effect

The term ‘effect’ is a noun which refers to ‘a change resulting from of an event or an action’, meaning that effect of an event or action, is the change that the former causes to the latter. Let’s understand how we can use it in our sentences:

1. To show the power to influence, in such a way to produce the desired outcome:
   • There is no effect of the painkiller tablets on me.
   • Her speech on dowry has a positive effect on people.
2. It can also be used to indicate the state of putting into practice:
   • The new law will come into effect from April.
3. It denotes an impression on something:
   • The spiritual lesson has an inspirational effect.
4. To express sound, lighting and scenes of a movie or play:
   • The show has special effects, which is a must watch one.
5. To represent personal stuff of a person:
   • The personal effects of the dead are donated to trust.

Examples

Affect

• The decrease in petrol price will significantly affect the spending power of the people.
• Demonetization has affected the country’s economy.

Effect

• Meditation has positive physical and mental effects.
• The new policy may come into effect from 1’st April.

How to remember the difference

One of the most common way to remember the difference between affect and effect is to memorize the word “RAVEN”, which expands to “Remember Affect Verb, Effect Noun”. Furthermore, ‘affect’ starts with letter ‘a’ which means ‘action’, whereas the word effect begins with letter ‘e’, which means the ‘end outcome’.