TextCheck

Affect vs effect

Affect is usually the verb. Effect is usually the noun.

affect

verb: to influence or change something

Test: Can you swap in “influence”?

  • The weather will affect our plans.
  • Lack of sleep affects your memory.

effect

noun: a result or consequence

Test: Can you swap in “result”? Is there “an/the” before it?

  • The new law had a big effect.
  • Side effects are rare.

Remember RAVEN: Remember, Affect is a Verb, Effect is a Noun.

Test yourself

Five sentences. Apply the test above to each one before you pick.

  1. How will the delay _____ the launch?

  2. The medicine had no _____ on me.

  3. The new manager wants to _____ real change.

  4. Music can _____ your mood.

  5. The special _____ in the film were impressive.

Pick an answer for each sentence.

The two exceptions worth knowing

“Effect” can be a verb meaning “to bring about”: “to effect change”, “the treaty effected a ceasefire”. It’s formal and mostly appears with change, reform or a result.

“Affect” can be a noun in psychology, meaning the outward expression of emotion: “the patient showed flat affect”. You’ll rarely need it outside clinical writing.

Affected and effective

The same pattern carries into other forms. “Affected” is the past of the verb (“we were affected by the storm”) and also means pretentious (“an affected accent”). “Effective” is the adjective from the noun: something that produces the intended result.

Catch it automatically

The grammar checker flags common mix-ups like this one by looking at the words around them, and the sentence checker can explain any sentence you’re unsure about.

Questions people ask

Is it “affect change” or “effect change”?

“Effect change” means to bring change about. “Affect change” would mean to influence an existing change, which is rarely what people mean.

Is it “side affects” or “side effects”?

Side effects. They are results of a medicine, so the noun “effect” is correct.

Does “in effect” use an e?

Yes. “In effect” (meaning “in practice” or “in force”) always uses the noun “effect”, as in “the rule is now in effect”.

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