The misuse of i.e. and e.g. is one of the top errors I come across in my technical editing. I have found that many people are not aware that i.e. and e.g. have different meanings.

 

The abbreviation i.e. stands for the Latin “idem est”, meaning “that is”. You could also think of it as meaning "in other words". So, when you use i.e., you are saying that one thing is the other, not that one thing is an example of another.

 

For example: I really enjoyed visiting the capital of Colombia (i.e. Bogotá).

 

In the above example, I am saying that the capital city of Colombia is Bogotá. I wouldn’t use “e.g.” because then I’d give the impression that Bogotá is only one example of a capital city of Colombia – that is, that Colombia has more than one capital city.

 

The abbreviation e.g. stands for “exempli gratia”, which essentially means “for example”.

For example: I have visited many capital cities (e.g. Bogotá, Lima, Buenos Aires, Prague and Moscow).

 

In the above example, I am saying that those cities are examples of capital cities that I have visited. I might have visited more.

 

Here’s an example from a technical article where the author used i.e., but meant to use e.g.:

“… these are not directly dependent on the geotechnical parameters (i.e. stability number)…”

 

By using i.e., the author was telling the reader that geotechnical parameters and stability number are one and the same — that is, that geotechnical parameters = stability number.

Actually, there are numerous geotechnical parameters, and stability number is just one example. Thus, the author and I changed the “i.e.” to “e.g.”.

 

So, again, e.g. means "for example”, and i.e. means “that is”. And by the way, there should be a full-stop (period) after each of the letters in each of the abbreviations – thus “i.e.” and “e.g.”.

 

In any case, due to the fact that these terms are so commonly misused, many style guides now recommend simply playing it safe and spelling out “that is” and “for example” when you can. That is what I generally do in my writing.

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