Affect vs. Effect: they are pronounced the same in American English, so we confuse their usage aurally/orally

To "affect" is a common verb describing the act of causing something to happen: "That play really affected my emotions!"

• "Affect" has two common exceptional uses: as a verb "to affect a false belief or appearance" as in "he affected to be suave and sophisticted although he really was from Avon Lake, Ohio" or "she affected not to care that he had spilled grape jelly on her bridal dress"; or to make something happen by logical consequence, as in "how did the grammar class affect your appetite for pizza?"  In psychology only, "affect" is used as a noun synonymous with "emotion," as in "the patient exhibited a strong affect upon seeing the image of the naked mole rat" or "researchers studied the affect and behavior of six hundred exam takers."

An "effect" is a common noun phrase meaning the result of some cause: "What effect did the play produce?"; "What were the effects of spending fifty hours studying grammar rules?"

• "Effect" has one rare exceptional use: as a verb meaning to cause something to happen (I know, I know, most unfair!), as in "My candidate will effect change in this economy whereas yours will not do doodly squat."  It is related to the adjective, "effectual."