affect

/əˈfɛkt/

//əˈfɛkt// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"affect" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“affect” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,510 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#2,510
frequency rank, English
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To influence or alter.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

affect vs aspect
67% similar
affect vs Affleck
57% similar
affect vs affected
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for affect
PropertyValue
Headwordaffect
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈfɛkt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,510
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “affect” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). affect lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for affect is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈfɛkt/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,510 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for affect, with forms such as "afect", "afefct", and "affcet". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "aspect", "Affleck", "affected", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English affecten, from Latin affectāre, from Latin affectus, the participle stem of Latin afficere (“to act upon, influence, affect, attack with disease”), from ad- + facere (“to make, do”). The correct English form is affect, spelled A-F-F-E-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To influence or alter.
  2. 2
    To move to emotion.
  3. 3
    Of an illness or condition, to infect or harm (a part of the body).
  4. 4
    To dispose or incline.
  5. 5
    To tend to by affinity or disposition.
  6. 6
    To assign; to appoint.
  7. 7
    To burden (property) with a fixed charge or payment, or other condition or restriction.

Etymology

From Middle English affecten, from Latin affectāre, from Latin affectus, the participle stem of Latin afficere (“to act upon, influence, affect, attack with disease”), from ad- + facere (“to make, do”).

This word in other languages

afectar(Español)affecter(Français)beeinflussen(Deutsch)afetar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: afect,afefct,affcet,affecct,affectt,affetc,fafect

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of affect - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

afect1afefct2affcet2affecct1affectt1affetc2fafect2
Edit distance from "affect"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "affect"?
"affect" is spelled A-F-F-E-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈfɛkt/.
What does "affect" mean?
As a verb, "affect" means: To influence or alter.
What words are commonly confused with "affect"?
"affect" is commonly confused with "aspect", "Affleck", "affected". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "affect"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "affect" is /əˈfɛkt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "affect"?
From Middle English affecten, from Latin affectāre, from Latin affectus, the participle stem of Latin afficere (“to act upon, influence, affect, attack with disease”), from ad- + facere (“to make, do”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “affect”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-F-F-E-C-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈfɛkt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “aspect” - see the side-by-side comparison. affect vs aspect
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list