i.e. vs. e.g.

i.e. and e.g. are two abbreviations that are continually miss used or miss understood. Both abbreviations are derived from Latin terms. i.e. stands for id est which  roughly translates to "that is."  Which for those of us like myself who don’t really understand what “that is” means out of text i.e. is equivalent to “in other words” it is used when restating something in another way to make it more clear or specific.  E.g. stands for exempli gratia, which means “for example.”

Now that you know what they mean you wonder how you might remember the difference. The easiest way to remember this is by using latter association. I.e. starts with I and in other words starts with I so i.e.=in other words. E.g. starts with e and example starts with e so e.g.=example.