If you confuse the words affect and effect, you’re not alone. These two words are some of the most commonly confused words in the English language! Because they sound alike, it can be even harder to keep them straight.
Though there are exceptions—especially in law—a quick way to remember the difference between affect and effect is:
Industry-Specific Exceptions: In law, effect is also used as a verb meaning “to bring about.” In psychology, affect is also used as a noun meaning “emotional response.” A common business phrase is personal effects, where effect is a noun and the phrase loosely means “your personal items.”
Despite what some grammar snobs might say, mixing up similar words is an honest mistake. Commonly confused word pairs often have:
Affect and effect have all three reasons for error. The most complicated (and least acknowledged) source of confusion is the similar meaning of the two words, which can be traced back to their Latin roots. Both words come from the Latin verb facere, which means “to make” or “to do.”