Is there a hard and fast rule to help know when you use the word effect versus the word affect?

Question

It seems like they are interchangeable, but if that's true then why have two words? When is the best time to use one vs. the other?

Answer 1

Although there are some exceptions, I tell my students to follow these general rules:

1. Affect is a verb: The student was affected by the speech.

2. Effect is a noun: The speech created an emotional effect in the student.

Answer 2

Effect is a noun while affect is a verb so they are not necessarily interchangeable.

For example:
The rain will not only affect the track and field members, but it will also affect the rest of the sports teams.

Having special effects for a movie tends to appeal to a wider audience.

Answer 3

Building on Sam's response (and acknowledging that effect can be a verb too), here's a simple trick:

If you intend to show Action by the word, use affect - "a" for action.

For example, "Cutting down trees affects the environment". The action of cutting down the trees makes a difference to the environment, so you use "a".

If you intend to show consequencE by the word, use effect - "e" from the last letter of consequence.

For example, "Cutting down trees has the effect of creating warmer weather."

Here, warmer weather is a consequence of cutting down the trees so you use "e".

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Here is a way to remember it... Affect starts with A and Action starts with A... so, when it is an action, it is Affect.

Here are a couple of examples...

So, how will my wonderful answer to this question AFFECT the distribution of points?

VERSUS

What will be the EFFECT of my wonderful answer to this question?

Answer 5

Effect is what happens and affect is what makes it happen .
"The word affects the effect of the sentence"