Most of the writers in essay really do not know the difference between the two, and many a times e.g. and i.e. are used interchangeably. However, while writing an essay it is really important to understand the difference between the two.

e.g.

e.g. stands for the Latin phrase “exempli gratia,� which means “for the sake of example.� You should use it when presenting examples or more possibilities for the term in question. An easy way to remember this is to associate e.g. with “example given.�


I like citrus fruits (e.g., oranges and lemons)

i.e.
i.e. Stands for the Latin phrase “id est,� which means “that is.� You should use it when explaining or rephrasing a sentence. Usually it has the same meaning as “in other words.�


I like all fruits (i.e., I eat any other fruits too)



Some considerations
You can use the e.g. and i.e. abbreviations both inside and outside the parenthesis. If you are writing in a formal style, however, they must go inside the parenthesis
They appear in lower case letters even if at the beginning of the sentence
Always separate the letters with a period, and follow the abbreviation with a comma