effectedĪffected is the past tense of the verb affect, as in The conditions clearly affected his performance. It can also be used as the plural form of the noun sense of affect, as in She is known for playing characters with unusual affects. It can also be used as a present tense form of the verb sense of effect, as in As a leader, she will be judged on how she effects change.Īffects is most often used as a present tense form of the verb sense of affect, as in Pollution negatively affects the environment in many different ways or Seeing abandoned pets always strongly affects her. The words effects and affects are most commonly used in much the same way as their base forms, affect and effect.Įffects is most often used as a plural noun meaning “consequences” or “results,” as in The experiment studied the effects of sleep deprivation on college students and The new rules had many unforeseen effects on contracts.

We have essential advice on the difference between council and counsel, too. This much less frequently used sense is often used with the word change, as in It is difficult to effect change. Even more confusingly, effect can also be a verb meaning “to make happen,” as in We can effect a new and better society through reform. However, affect can also be used as a noun to refer to an emotional response or state, as in She plays the character with an artificially cheerful affect. If you want to use a noun, chances are you want effect. If the word you’re using is a verb, chances are you want affect. This sense of effect appears in a few common idiomatic phrases, including in effect and take effect. Effect is most commonly used as a noun meaning “a result or consequence,” as in His words had the intended effect (result).

affect or effectĪffect is most commonly used as a verb meaning “to act on or produce a change in someone or something,” as in Even a small adjustment can affect (change) the outcome of the experiment.

And affect can also be used as a noun referring to a state of emotion, as in He had a sad affect. But effect can also be used as a verb meaning to make happen, most commonly in the phrase effect change. Affect is most commonly used as a verb meaning “to act on or produce a change in someone or something.” Effect is most commonly used as a noun meaning “a result or consequence,” as in cause and effect.

It will affect me