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Difference between Affect and Effect

Difference between Affect and Effect

Many people are confused about the difference between affect and effect, these words which have almost the same pronunciation, but very different meanings. The difference between affect and effect is as big as the difference between nouns and verbs.

So, if an event affects your life, you will feel the event’s effect. Whenever you are creating a sentence and you need to use affect vs. effect, think about whether you are using it in your sentence as a noun or verb.

Before check differences between Affect and Effect, firstly we should know about affect and effect separately. Here’s the short version of affect vs Effect.

Affect

Affect is a verb, its means to influence or to produce a change in something. It is chiefly used as a verb and its main meaning is to influence or make a difference to. It just wouldn’t be the English language without them. Using affect as a noun is largely used in psychological circles to describe someone’s mood as it appears to the psychologist. There is a short “A” sound at the beginning of it.

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

Effect

Effect is a noun and its mean the result of a change. It’s most often used in a formal context as oppose to everyday English. It is to produce or to cause to come into being. It is used as the subject or object in a sentence. You will also find that it usually has the word “an” or “the” in front of it. There is a short “I” sound at the beginning of it.

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

Affect and effect are easy to mix up. There is a slight difference between the two words but the “effect” is a common word and the “effect” indicates some more depth. Now we are going to explore differences between Affect and Effect:

Common Meaning:

  • Affect simply means ‘influence’ or ‘impact’ that can make a difference or change in someone or something.
  • Effectis almost always used as a noun to mean “a change that results when something is done or happens.

Used as a Verb

  • As a verb, to affect something means to cause it to change in some way. This is affect’s most common usage.
  • As a verb, “to effect” means “to bring about.”

Used as a Noun

  • As a noun, the word “affect” relates to the display of emotion.
  • As a noun, effect means the result or outcome of a cause. This is effect’s most common usage. Also, a person’s “effects” means his/her immediate personal belongings.

Examples of Affect:

  • The pay increase will greatly affect their lifestyle.
  • Did the cold affect you?
  • The dampness began to affect my health.
  • Do not use low-fat milk. It will affect the taste.

Examples of Effect

  • Move the cursor until you get the effect you want.
  • That is a nice effect.
  • The beneficial effects of exercise are well documented.
  • What effect did your reprimand have?