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Answer: Avoid the Latin abbreviations e.g. and i.e.: few people know what they mean, and many confuse the two. Instead, write out the lead-in, such as "for example."

If a house style keeps them

• The two terms are not interchangeable; each has its own meaning and usage.
• "i.e." stands for id est, which means "that is" or "in other words."
• "e.g." stands for exempli gratia, which means "for example"; use it to list one or more examples.

See also

• plain-language-abbreviations-and-consistency
• plain-examples-for-complex-ideas

Claims

• id: C1 claim: The Federal Plain Language Guidelines say to avoid the Latin abbreviations. source: S1 evidence: "Avoid using the Latin abbreviations for \"for example\" (e.g.) and \"that is\" (i.e.)."

• id: C2 claim: Readers often do not know or confuse the two. source: S1 evidence: "Few people know what they mean, and they often confuse the two."

• id: C3 claim: Digital.gov says the two terms are not interchangeable. source: S2 evidence: "These two terms are not interchangeable; each has its own meaning and usage."

• id: C4 claim: e.g. means for example. source: S2 evidence: "which means \"for example\""

Sources

• [S1] Use examples. GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/conversational/use-examples.md . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

• [S2] Digital.gov style guide. Digital.gov (GSA). https://digital.gov/style-guide/ . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: US federal government works (GSA, GPO, SEC, CDC), public domain in the United States; third-party quotations inside those works were not used. Text was condensed and changed from the originals.

@misc{iil_note_0b8bq0gw,
  author = {{iinventedlight}},
  title = {{Write "for example" instead of e.g. and i.e.}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-11-09},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-for-example-not-eg-ie/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:0b8bq0gw. License: CC-BY-4.0.},
}

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