affected

/əˈfɛktɪd/

//əˈfɛktɪd// adj

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

"affected" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“affected” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,277 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#2,277
frequency rank, English
8
letters
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Influenced or changed by something.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

affected vs afflicted
78% similar
affected vs affect
75% similar

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

Key facts for affected
PropertyValue
Headwordaffected
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈfɛktɪd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,277
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “affected” 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). affected 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 affected is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈfɛktɪd/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,277 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for affected, with forms such as "afected", "afefcted", and "affceted". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "afflicted", "affect", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is affected, spelled A-F-F-E-C-T-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Influenced or changed by something.
  2. 2
    Simulated in order to impress.
  3. 3
    Emotionally moved; touched.
  4. 4
    adfected.
  5. 5
    Resulting from a mostly negative physical effect or transformation.

This word in other languages

afectado(Español)affecté(Français)betroffen(Deutsch)afetado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: afected,afefcted,affceted,affeccted,affecetd,affectde,affectedd,affectted,affetced,fafected

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

afected1afefcted2affceted2affeccted1affecetd2affectde2affectedd1affectted1
Edit distance from "affected"

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 "affected"?
"affected" is spelled A-F-F-E-C-T-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈfɛktɪd/.
What does "affected" mean?
As an adjective, "affected" means: Influenced or changed by something.
What words are commonly confused with "affected"?
"affected" is commonly confused with "afflicted", "affect". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "affected"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "affected" is /əˈfɛktɪd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "affected" come from?
"affected" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “affected”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-F-F-E-C-T-E-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈfɛktɪd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “afflicted” - see the side-by-side comparison. affected vs afflicted
  • 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