Explanation
This is a handy acronym to help you remember how to use "affect" and "effect" correctly. The acronym RAVEN keeps the two words straight: Remember, Affect is a Verb, Effect is a Noun. For example: "The storm will affect our travel plans" (a verb, describing an action), but "The effect of the storm was a cancelled flight" (a noun, naming the result).
This covers the vast majority of everyday cases, but there are two exceptions worth knowing: "effect" can occasionally be a verb meaning "to bring about" or "cause" (as in "effect change"), and "affect" can be a noun in psychology, meaning an outward display of emotion. If in doubt, RAVEN still gets you the correct word almost every time.