The Difference Between I.e. and E.g.

I get so many people asking me about when to use the Latin abbreviation i.e. and when to use e.g. In fact, many of us are mistaken in believing that i.e. means for example, just like e.g.

I.e. means that’s to say

I.e. is the abbreviation for the Latin term id est, which means in other words or that’s to say. It helps to clarify or specify what you’re talking about, adding novel information to whittle down the possibilities and give a precise picture.

✅ He had a fight with his publicist, i.e., his wife.

E.g. means for example

In contrast, e.g. is short for exempli gratia, which means, quite literally, for the sake of example. In today’s English, that means for example. We use e.g. to introduce an example or a list of examples, indicating that there are multiple possibilities or options,

✅ He refuses to read his contemporaries, e.g., Don Delillo, David Foster Wallace, Haruki Murakami.

How to remember the difference between i.e. and e.g.

Having trouble figuring out when to use e.g. and i.e.? I think of e.g. as sounding like egg, which makes me think of egg-zample. Weird, I know. Grammarly has a more grown-up tip for remembering the difference…