Commonly Confused Abbreviations


In this post, we look at commonly confused abbreviations.

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase.

Commonly Confused Abbreviations

The abbreviations: etc., i.e., and e.g. are commonly confused.

  1. Etc. means ‘continuing in the same way’.
  2. I.e. means ‘that is’.
  3. E.g. means ‘for example’.

Writing Tip: Always punctuate these abbreviations within commas.

Examples: 

  1. Buy carrots, oranges, apples, etc., at this shop.
  2. We give all clients an early bird discount, i.e., 10%.
  3. The course includes writing basics, e.g., grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Writing Tip: In good English, use ‘etc.’ as little as possible. It is better to be specific.

[Top Tip: If you need practical help with your grammar, buy The Complete Grammar Workbook.]

  • Posted on 19th August 2014
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  1. paul skillman

    Very useful info. Thank you

  2. Eric

    I just loath those ugly fullstops including in U.S.A. and they are totally unnecessary, not consistent with other abbreviations, draw unnecessary attention to themselves and they are awful to type especially three times in USA. This is one arbitrary rule that should have already gone with the evolution of writing. Why not?

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