Commonly Confused Words

Affect or effect? Their, there or they're? The word pairs that trip everyone up, settled once and for all.

Affect vs. Effect

Affect is usually a verb (to change something); effect is usually a noun (the result). Learn the rule, the two rare exceptions and a memory trick.

Its vs. It's

It's always means "it is" or "it has". Its (no apostrophe) shows possession. One two-second test settles every sentence.