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