Confusing i.e. and e.g. is More Common Than You Think
Confusing “i.e.” and “e.g.” is rumored to be one of the most common mistakes writers make. It certainly is tricky for me!
Both abbreviations are derived from Latin words, which always complicates matters. So I’m going to keep things as simple as possible:
- i.e. stands for “id est,” which essentially means “in other words.”
- e.g. is the abbreviation for “exempli gratia” or “for example” in English.