Difference between affectation and effect

The main difference between Affect and Effect is that Affect is commonly known as a verb, meaning “to influence”, while Effect is typically used as a noun meaning “as a result, in consequence”.

affect versus effect

The word affect is derived from the Latin verb ‘afficere, ‘ which means “to have an influence on or do something that…” The word effects originates from the Latin verb ‘efficere,’ which means “to do or carry out.” Affect is commonly known as a verb. Effect is often used as a noun. The verb affect means “to influence”, while the noun effect says “as a result, consequently”. The pronunciation of the affect is [uh-fekt] with an A sound at the beginning. The effect is pronounced as [ih-fekt] with I-sound at the beginning.

Affect can also mean “to act in a way you don’t really feel”, for example “John has affected an air of superiority”. Effect conveys the meaning of “a result or result of something”, for example, the effect of the drug was positive. The different words that have the word “affection” as a root are affection, affectation, disaffection, and unaffected. Effect acts as a root word in the subsequent words effect, effective and effective. The word affect acts more commonly as a verb and less often as a noun. The word effect works as a noun, but sometimes it also acts as a verb in formal situations.

Comparison chart

Affect is a verb or an action word. It means “to act or bring about a change.” For example, “cold weather affected crops.” Another meaning of the verb affect is “to influence the mind or change the feelings”, for example, “The slow melody affected your mood”. It is also used as a noun in a situation when referring to someone’s facial expressions, for example, “The lady’s expressions had a neutral effect.” Affect is rarely used as a noun in a psychological context to describe an emotion, for example, “A gloomy affect can be a symptom of depression.”

There are some other words that are created using the word affect as a root. Like the word affection, which is a noun meaning “a kind of warm emotion”, for example, “My mother has great affection for her grandchildren.” Another one of those words is discontent, which is an adjective meaning “discontented or rebellious.” The third root word with the word affect is “unaffected” (adjective), which conveys the meaning of “not bothered or influenced”, for example, people seem to be unaffected by traffic rules. The word affectionate, meaning “kind or affectionate,” also has the same root of affection .

examples

• Weather conditions will affect the inhabitants of this area.
• I am confused as to why the man took the news of his wife’s accident with little affection.
• The corruption of a single employee can affect the credibility of all workers.
• Your suggestions will not affect my decision to become a photographer.
• Smoking tobacco seriously affects the lungs and blood flow.

What is the effect?

Effect is commonly used as a noun meaning “as a result, in consequence,” for example, “Your sunburn was an effect of frequently sunbathing.” The use of this word effect is also seen as a verb, but that use is less common, for example, “She got her score on the test by studying hard.” The noun effect is also used in the context of footage, images, and videos. It refers to “the variations of light, sound or landscape”. Which are used in that film, video or photo. It derives from a Latin word ‘efficere’ , which means “to make or carry out”. The phrase with the word effect is “effect change “.

Some of the words that have affect as a root are given. They are sequelae (noun) which means “something that follows a cause”, for example, “The aftermath of the flood was very serious”. Effective (adjective) means “successful”, eg “The spray was very effective in killing the insects.” The word effective (adjective) means “capable of producing the desired effect.” The word efficiency (noun) and efficient ( adjective ) are related to the word effect, but are not based on the root effect . However, they have a similar etymology and meaning. Efficacy and effective are also words related to efficient.

examples

• This medicine has the side effect of blurred vision.
• The lousy company always has an adverse effect.
• A deep, average sleep of eight hours has a good effect on your day.
• The media have a significant effect on the mindset and opinions of the public.
• The film was created by special effects.

Key differences

1. The word affect most commonly acts as a verb and less often as a noun, while the word effect functions as a noun but sometimes also acts as a verb.
2. The verb affect means “to influence” in contrast, the noun effect says “as a result, consequently”.
3. The word affect is derived from the Latin verb ‘afficere’, which means “to have an influence or to do something in…” while the word effect originates from the Latin verb ‘efficere’, which means “to do or carry out”. «
4. The pronunciation of the affect is [uh-fekt] with an A sound at the beginning. The effect is pronounced as [ih-fekt] with I-sound at the beginning.
5. The different words that have the word ‘affect ‘ as a stem are affect, affect, disaffect and unaffected, while effect acts as the root of the word in the following words secondary effect, effective and effective.

Final Thought

Affect and Effect are two different words that have a similar meaning. Both terms are also idioms for each other. The difference is mainly based on their use in different contexts.