Difference Between Impact & Effect

Impact and Effect are two terms that are often confused when it comes to their meanings. The term impact is used to refer to an ‘influence’, whereas the term ‘effect’ is used to refer to a ‘result’. This is the main distinction between the two terms.

Consider the following two sentences:
1. The incident has a great impact on his behavior.
2. The sound system has a good effect.

In the first sentence, the term ‘impact’ is used in the sense of ‘influence’, meaning “the incident has a great influence on his behavior”. In the second sentence, the term ‘effect’ is used in the sense of ‘result’, meaning “the sound system produces a great result”.

Key Takeaways

• Impact refers to the influence of an action, while effect refers to the result or consequence of an action.
• The usage of the term ‘impact’ implies ‘power’, whereas the usage of the term ‘effect’ implies ‘outcome’.
• Effect has various other forms such as adjective in ‘effective’, adverb in ‘effectively’, and so on. On the other hand, the term ‘impact’ is used just as a noun and does not have other forms like an adjective or adverb.