Quite often, the word attempt is used to talk about trying to attain a specific goal, whereas effort is a more general term to describe work, both physical and mental. Examples: It will be his last attempt to climb the mountain. If this attempt fails, she will not try again. I attempted to run 10 kilometres but I could not do it. I want to run 10 kilometres but I will only succeed if I make the effort to train. I am trying to learn a language but it involves a lot of effort. It involved a lot of time and effort to achieve it.