Affect vs Effect

These two sound almost the same, which is rude of them. Most of the time:

• AFFECT is a verb — an action. The loud goats affect my concentration.
• EFFECT is a noun — a thing. The goats have a strange effect on me.

Quick tip: Affect = Action (verb). Effect = the End result (noun).

(In real life there are a few rare exceptions — “effect” can be a verb meaning “to cause,” and “affect” can be a noun in psychology — but the trick above is right about 99% of the time.)