affect: (verb) to alter; to change; to make a difference to; to sway the emotions of; (noun) facial expressions, gestures, vocal sounds that display emotion, often insincerely
effect: (noun) end result; consequence; change resulting from an action or other cause; used in the term “special effects”; (verb) to cause something to
happen; usually used in the expression “to effect change”
By far the most common uses of affect and effect are affect as a verb and effect as a noun. The memory trick I use to help keep them straight is that affect is an action and starts with A. A is for action. Effect is a consequence or end result. E is for end.
If you find that the most common meanings are hard enough to remember, I would recommend avoiding the less common versions. They can easily be replaced by “expression” for affect as a noun and “cause” for effect as a verb.