i.e. vs e.g.: Meaning, Punctuation and Examples

Use i.e. when you mean "that is" or "in other words," and use e.g. when you mean "for example." The first narrows things down to exactly what you mean; the second offers one or more examples from a bigger group.

So "I love citrus fruits, e.g., lemons" means lemons are one of several citrus fruits you love. "I love the sourest citrus fruit, i.e., lemons" means lemons are the one specific fruit you're talking about. The two abbreviations look alike, but they do very different jobs.

Quick answer: i.e. = id est, "that is." It clarifies or restates: "the capital of Australia, i.e., Canberra." e.g. = exempli gratia, "for example." It introduces examples: "Australian cities, e.g., Perth and Hobart." US style: periods plus a comma after (e.g.,). UK and Australian style often drops the comma, and sometimes the periods (eg).

On this page

1. What the Latin actually means
2. The core rule: specify or sample?
3. Punctuation: periods, commas and parentheses
4. Using etc. with e.g.
5. Formal vs informal writing
6. Example sentences
7. US vs UK vs Australia
8. Common mistakes
9. A memory trick that sticks
10. Practice quiz
11. The practical takeaway

What the Latin actually means

Both abbreviations are shortened Latin phrases that English has borrowed for centuries, especially in scholarly and legal writing.

i.e. = id est ("that is")

Id est translates word for word as "it is" or "that is." When you write i.e., you're telling the reader: "here is exactly what I mean," or "to put it another way." What follows i.e. should be a complete restatement or clarification of what came before, not a sample of it.

• "The meeting is on the last day of the financial year, i.e., June 30."
• "Bring a photo ID, i.e., a passport or driver's license."

In the second example, the list after i.e. is the full set of acceptable IDs. If any other ID would also work, you'd need e.g. instead.

e.g. = exempli gratia ("for the sake of example")

Exempli gratia means roughly "for the sake of an example." When you write e.g., you're saying: "here are a few instances, but there are others." The items after e.g. are a sample, never the complete list.

• "Pack something warm, e.g., a fleece or a light jacket."
• "Several UK cities, e.g., Leeds and Glasgow, have expanded their cycle lanes."

Pronunciation

Most English speakers pronounce the letters: i.e. as "eye-EE" and e.g. as "ee-JEE." Hardly anyone says the full Latin aloud in everyday conversation. When reading a text aloud, it's common and perfectly correct to say "that is" and "for example" instead.

Related Latin abbreviations

You'll often see i.e. and e.g. alongside a few cousins. Knowing them helps you pick the right one.

Viz. works much like i.e. but is rarer and more formal; in modern writing, "namely" is usually clearer.

The core rule: specify or sample?

The simplest way to choose is to ask one question: am I narrowing down, or giving examples?

• If what follows is the whole answer, use i.e.
• If what follows is one or more examples among many, use e.g.

Here's the same sentence frame showing the difference:

Notice that "our biggest client" can only be one company, so e.g. would make no sense there. Superlatives (biggest, first, only, best) naturally pair with i.e., because they point to one thing.

Punctuation: periods, commas and parentheses

This is where most of the confusion lives, because American, British and Australian conventions differ.

Periods

In American English, both abbreviations take two periods: i.e. and e.g. Leaving out the periods ("ie," "eg") looks like a typo to most American readers.

In British and Australian English, practice varies. Some publishers keep the full stops (i.e., e.g.), while many newspapers, government bodies and businesses drop them entirely (ie, eg), in line with a general trend toward minimal punctuation in abbreviations.

The comma after

Major American style guides, including the ones most US publishers, universities and newsrooms follow, put a comma after both abbreviations:

• US: "Bring snacks, e.g., fruit or crackers."
• US: "Submit the form by Friday, i.e., October 9."

In British and Australian writing, the comma after is very often left out:

• UK/AU: "Bring snacks, e.g. fruit or crackers."
• UK/AU (no stops): "Bring snacks, eg fruit or crackers."

None of these is "wrong" in its own context. The important thing is consistency: choose one style for a document and keep it.

The punctuation before

Before i.e. or e.g., you normally need a comma, a dash, an opening parenthesis, or occasionally a semicolon, because the phrase that follows is an interruption or an add-on.

• With a comma: "We need a bigger venue, e.g., the town hall."
• With parentheses: "We need a bigger venue (e.g., the town hall)."
• With a dash: "We need a bigger venue — e.g., the town hall."

Parentheses are especially popular in technical and academic writing, because they keep the main sentence clean.

Italics

Don't italicize i.e. or e.g. Even though they're Latin, they've been absorbed into English, and modern style guides set them in regular type, the same way you'd treat etc. in ordinary prose.

Capitalization

Keep both lowercase in the middle of a sentence. Avoid starting a sentence with them; "E.g., the Brisbane office..." looks clumsy. Write "For example, the Brisbane office..." instead.

Using etc. with e.g.

Because e.g. already signals that your list is incomplete, ending the list with etc. repeats the same idea:

❌ "Bring outdoor gear, e.g., boots, a raincoat, a hat, etc." ✅ "Bring outdoor gear, e.g., boots, a raincoat and a hat." ✅ "Bring outdoor gear: boots, a raincoat, a hat, etc."

Most editors treat "e.g. ... etc." as redundant, so pick one or the other. With i.e., etc. makes even less sense, since i.e. promises a complete restatement. If you need help with list punctuation more generally, see our guide to the Oxford comma.

Formal vs informal writing

Formal and academic writing

Abbreviations are efficient, but they can make dense prose harder to read. Many academic style guides recommend using i.e. and e.g. only inside parentheses and writing "that is" or "for example" in the main text.

• Parenthetical: "Several variables (e.g., age, income and region) were controlled."
• Running text: "Several variables were controlled, for example, age, income and region."

In legal drafting, speeches, cover letters and anything meant to sound polished, spelling the phrases out usually reads more naturally. A sentence like "I have strong client-facing skills, for example, from three years at a Sydney law firm" flows better than one packed with abbreviations.

Everyday and workplace writing

In emails, instructions, slide decks, notes and chat, i.e. and e.g. are completely normal. They save space and readers recognize them instantly.

• "Please use the new template (i.e., the one Tom sent on Monday)."
• "Flag any urgent issues, e.g., missing invoices, before Thursday."

The same goes for other Latin phrases that have become everyday English; see our article on per se for another one people often misuse.

Example sentences

Everyday life

1. "We're going somewhere warm for the holidays, e.g., Queensland or Fiji."
2. "Dinner is at my parents' place, i.e., the house on Maple Street."
3. "I'm avoiding sugary drinks, e.g., soda and energy drinks."
4. "The kids can choose one treat, i.e., one, not three."
5. "Bring a plate to share, e.g., a salad or some biscuits."
6. "We'll leave at sunrise, i.e., about 6:15 a.m."

Workplace and email

7. "Please send the final version, i.e., the one with the client's comments."
8. "Use a secure password manager (e.g., the one IT recommends)."
9. "The project is due at the end of Q3, i.e., September 30."
10. "Our regional offices, e.g., Manchester and Leeds, will pilot the system."
11. "Only senior staff, i.e., directors and above, can approve refunds."
12. "Include supporting documents, e.g., receipts or bank statements."

Academic and technical

13. "Participants completed a short task (e.g., sorting cards by color)."
14. "The control group, i.e., students who received no tutoring, scored lower."
15. "Renewable sources (e.g., wind, solar and hydro) supplied most of the grid."
16. "At sea level, pure water boils at a fixed temperature, i.e., 100 °C."
17. "Several primates, e.g., chimpanzees and bonobos, use simple tools."

News style

18. "The council's flagship scheme, i.e., the Brisbane river ferry upgrade, is behind schedule."
19. "Some states, e.g., Ohio and Michigan, reported higher turnout."
20. "The minister announced cuts to the largest department, i.e., health."
21. "Coastal towns, e.g., Whitby and Scarborough, braced for storms."
22. "The state's largest employer, i.e., the public hospital network, announced a hiring freeze."

US vs UK vs Australia

The meaning of i.e. and e.g. is identical in all three countries. What differs is punctuation and, to a smaller degree, how freely people use the abbreviations.

United States. The standard is two periods plus a comma after: i.e., and e.g.,. Major US style guides agree on this, and American readers expect it. Dropping the periods looks careless in American publishing.

United Kingdom. British usage is mixed. You'll see i.e. and e.g. with full stops but no comma after, and you'll also see ie and eg with no stops at all, a style used by several national newspapers and many organizations. Using the US comma in British text isn't an error, but it can look slightly American.

Australia. Australian practice leans toward the British side and often goes further toward minimal punctuation: eg and ie without full stops or a following comma are common in government and corporate writing. Some Australian guidance also encourages writers to spell out "for example" and "that is" for plain-language clarity. In any case, the full-stop versions remain widely understood.

If you write for an international audience, the safest choice is to follow your organization's house style or, failing that, to use the full forms with periods. Our British vs American vs Australian spelling guide covers similar regional habits.

Common mistakes

❌ "My favorite season, e.g., autumn, starts next week." ✅ "My favorite season, i.e., autumn, starts next week." (You only have one favorite.)

❌ "I enjoy outdoor sports, i.e., hiking." (If you enjoy others too.) ✅ "I enjoy outdoor sports, e.g., hiking."

❌ "Bring snacks e.g., chips." ✅ "Bring snacks, e.g., chips." (Add the comma before.)

❌ "Pack essentials, e.g., water, sunscreen, a hat, etc." ✅ "Pack essentials, e.g., water, sunscreen and a hat."

❌ "E.g., the Perth office has extended hours." ✅ "For example, the Perth office has extended hours."

❌ "i.e" or "e.g" (one period) ✅ "i.e." and "e.g." (two periods), or "ie" and "eg" in a consistent no-stops style.

❌ "ex." used as a formal abbreviation for "example" ✅ "e.g." or "for example." ("Ex." is common in casual notes but isn't standard in edited writing.)

A useful self-check: replace the abbreviation with "that is" or "for example" and read the sentence aloud. If "for example" sounds wrong, you probably need i.e., and vice versa. This works for many confusable pairs, much like the substitution tests in our article on data is vs data are.

A memory trick that sticks

Link each abbreviation to an English phrase with the same initials:

• i.e. = "in essence" (or "in effect"): it sums up exactly what you mean.
• e.g. = "example given": it hands over an example.

If you prefer something more visual, think of e.g. as "example gallery" — a gallery has many pictures, and you're just showing a few.

Practice quiz

Choose i.e. or e.g. for each blank.

1. "Our team won the top prize, ___, the gold medal."
2. "Try a citrus fruit, ___, an orange or a grapefruit."
3. "The office is closed on public holidays, ___, Anzac Day and Christmas Day." (There are other public holidays too.)
4. "Report to the person in charge, ___, the duty manager."
5. "Some British cities, ___, Bristol, have clean-air zones."
6. In American style, which is correct: "e.g. apples," "e.g., apples," or "eg apples"?

Answers

1. i.e. There is only one top prize, so you're restating it.
2. e.g. Orange and grapefruit are two of many citrus fruits.
3. e.g. These are examples, not the full list of public holidays.
4. i.e. "The person in charge" is one specific person.
5. e.g. Bristol is one example among several cities.
6. "e.g., apples." US style uses both periods and a comma after.

The practical takeaway

Before you type either abbreviation, ask whether you're naming the thing or giving some examples: "that is" means i.e., "for example" means e.g. Then match your punctuation to your audience (periods and a comma for American readers, often lighter punctuation for British and Australian ones), skip the italics, drop the redundant "etc.," and in your most formal writing, simply spell the phrases out.