e.g. vs i.e.

Last revised by Daniel J Bell on 20 May 2022

The commonly used abbreviations e.g. (for example) and i.e. (that is) are sometimes used incorrectly; e.g. is used to give one or more examples, while i.e. is meant to clarify and elaborate a bit on the preceding text.

  • e.g. (Latin abbreviation of "exempli gratia") means "for example"
  • i.e. (Latin abbreviation of "id est") means "that is" or "in other words"

Examples

Have a look at the following examples to understand the difference:

  1. there are many coagulopathies, e.g. thrombocytosis, hemophilia, von Willebrand disease
  2. there are many coagulopathies, i.e. conditions involving the clotting of blood
  3. on radiographs we often observe accessory ossicles, e.g. os peroneum, os vesalianum, os trigonum
  4. on radiographs we often observe accessory ossicles, i.e. extra bones that are not normally present

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