Affect Vs Effect: Be Sure to Use the Right Word Every Time

In the English language, there are certain words that create confusion for novice writers and non-native English speakers. This confusion mainly arises due to similarities in sounds and spellings of these words. It’s essential to avoid this confusion and make use of the right word in your text, as otherwise, your intended message won’t be conveyed to the readers adequately.

Effect vs affect both are often mixed up by beginners, as they think that both of these words have the same meaning. However, in actuality, there are a lot of differences between affect and effect, and you should have a clear understanding of them to use them correctly in your writing.

If you are wondering how affect and effect differ from one another, then you are at the right spot. In this blog, we will shed light on the difference between these words. You’ll also get to know how they can be used in sentences.

What is the Difference Between Affect and Effect?

Before we begin discussing the affect Vs effect, let’s first understand why people mix up these two distinct terms while jotting down words. Well, the main reason behind this is their intent, i.e., both of them are used to denote repercussions or results.

However, they are different from each other because of their word class. The word effect is a noun that is used as a thing. On the other hand, affect is a verb that is used as an action. So, it’s evident that you can never use an action ‘affect’ as a noun in places where you are referring to some sort of consequence or a result. Similarly, the noun ‘effect’ cannot appear in places where an action is taking place.

How to Use Affect?

In order to make it easy for you to make use of the word ‘affect’ accurately, you can remember that ‘A’ in ‘affect’ represents action, and the actions are denoted with verbs in the English language. So, in order to write a sentence containing the verb ‘affect,’ you’ll need a subject that is performing this action. The following examples can help you understand how you can use ‘affect’ while writing any kind of text.

Examples:

• The excessive consumption of this medicine can affect your health negatively.
• The attitude of teachers can directly affect the performance of students.
• Smoking tobacco negatively affects the blood flow. 

How to Use Effect?

The consequence of anything leads to an effect. Similar is the case when you look into the spellings of both words. Consequence ends with the letter ‘e,’ and ‘effect’ starts from the same letter. So, whenever you are discussing a consequence, you should use effect instead of affect. Here are some examples that elaborate on the usage of the word ‘effect’ in the English language.

Examples:

• Your plan can leave a lasting effect on the community.
• Music has a calming effect on certain individuals.
• The earthquake had a devastating effect on the town.

Conclusion

In the last analysis, using affect and effect while creating any type of textual document shouldn’t be a problem anymore. If you still wish to make sure that the words you have used in your content aren’t wrong, then you can utilize the online grammar checker. This tool will detect all sorts of spelling and grammar errors in your text and help you get rid of them in a matter of a few seconds.