e.g. vs i.e.
Two Latin abbreviations that mean different things: 'e.g.' introduces examples, 'i.e.' introduces a restatement.
'e.g.' abbreviates 'exempli gratia', 'for the sake of example'. It introduces one or more instances of the class just named, without any implication that the list is exhaustive. 'Root vegetables (e.g., carrots, beets, parsnips) store well through the winter' — the parenthetical offers examples; there are others.
'i.e.' abbreviates 'id est', 'that is'. It introduces a restatement or clarification of what was just said, and the reader is meant to treat the two sides as equivalent. 'The oldest child (i.e., the heir under primogeniture) inherited the estate' — the parenthetical does not add examples; it defines the term.
The distinction matters in citation and in careful writing because the two abbreviations make different logical promises. Using 'i.e.' where 'e.g.' is meant tells the reader that the list is exhaustive when it is not; using 'e.g.' where 'i.e.' is meant tells them the definition is only one option among many. In legal drafting, that difference can decide a case.
Common mistake: dropping the periods, or writing 'ie' and 'eg'. Both are abbreviations of two-word Latin phrases and, in almost every style guide, keep both periods. Both are also conventionally followed by a comma in American English ('e.g., carrots'), though British style often omits it.
“Some common law courts (e.g., England, Australia) still cite Blackstone; the founding common-law jurisdiction (i.e., England) is where his authority is greatest.”
Keep reading the glossary
A Latin citation abbreviation for confer, 'compare' — used to point the reader to a related passage.
Latin for 'thus' — used in quotes to mark an error reproduced from the original.
Latin for 'and others' — used in citations of multi-author works.
A Latin note in a citation meaning 'in various places throughout the cited work'.