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• IE
  IE

  abbreviation

  Indo-European.
• -ie
  -ie

  The noun-forming suffix -ie, originally the Scottish spelling of -y, first appears about 1400 in pet names and has spread into general usage. It is used to form words that are usually informal (birdie, doggie ), and to form endearing or familiar names (Millie, Susie ) or familiar diminutives (sweetie ).
• i.e.
  i.e.

  abbreviation

  that is; that is to say; in other words.
• I.E.
  I.E.

  abbreviation

  Indo-European.
• ie
  ie

  abbreviation

  Ireland

IE

¹ American  

abbreviation

1. Indo-European.

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-ie ² American  

Also -y

1. The noun-forming suffix -ie, originally the Scottish spelling of -y, first appears about 1400 in pet names and has spread into general usage. It is used to form words that are usually informal (birdie, doggie ), and to form endearing or familiar names (Millie, Susie ) or familiar diminutives (sweetie ).

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i.e. ³ American  

[ahy-ee] / ˈaɪˈi /

abbreviation

1. that is; that is to say; in other words.

   They spent their last day at camp enjoying their two favorite activities, i.e., swimming and ziplining.

   Our writers do a lot of research to avoid anachronisms—i.e., those errors that confuse the times of our stories with later times in history.

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I.E. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. Indo-European.

2. Industrial Engineer.

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i.e. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. id est

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ie ² British  

abbreviation

1. Ireland

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IE ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Indo-European (languages)

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-ie ⁴ British  

suffix

1. a variant of -y 2

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i.e. Cultural  

1. An abbreviation for id est, a Latin phrase meaning “that is.” It indicates that an explanation or paraphrase is about to follow: “Many workers expect to put in a forty-hour week — i.e., to work eight hours a day.” (Compare e.g.)

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Usage

What’s the difference between i.e. and e.g.? The abbreviation i.e. essentially means that is or in other words—you say it before rephrasing what you’ve just said, often to put it in simpler terms. The abbreviation e.g. essentially means for example—you say it before providing an example of the thing you’ve just mentioned. Both are abbreviations of Latin phrases: i.e. stands for the Latin id est (which literally means “that is”); e.g. stands for exemplī grātiā (which literally means “for the sake of example”). Both are pronounced by saying the two individual letters in the term. Both are commonly used in writing, but i.e. is much more commonly used in speech—most people don’t often say e.g. when speaking (probably because the phrase for example is so common and well understood). Sometimes, people use them in overlapping ways, but this is technically incorrect, since i.e. is meant to indicate a rephrasing, while e.g. is meant to signal that a specific example is going to be given. Of course, both of these things involve an attempt to make what has just been said a little clearer (by clarifying or specifying), so it can be hard to remember when each one is appropriate. To help remember when to use each one, think of the i in i.e. as standing for in other words. Think of the e in e.g. as standing for example (which it pretty much does). Here’s an example of i.e. and e.g. used correctly in the same sentence. Example: The second sewing lesson (i.e., the one starting next week) will cover several different skills (e.g., sewing on a button and sewing a seam). Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between i.e. and e.g.

Etymology

Origin of i.e.

From Latin id est

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

IE -ie i.e. I.E. ie

Adriel Enriquez collapsed on the soccer field on Feb. 26, while practicing with the Platinum IE soccer club, said his uncle, Joshua Gutierrez in a social media post.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2026

Instead, he chose Madrid’s IE University, which now has as many American students as Spaniards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026

"A sector so closely tied to international mobility is particularly vulnerable to health, geopolitical, or climate crises," Rafael Pampillon, a professor of economics at IE Business School in Madrid, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026

Workplaces are increasingly adopting A.I.-powered management software, which could indirectly influence pay by allocating projects and shifts based on employee data, Antonio Aloisi, an associate professor at IE University Law School in Spain, told me.

From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2024

If the vernier zero is to the left of the zero on the arc, the IE is minus and it is to be subtracted from any angle you read, to get the correct angle.

From Lectures in Navigation by Ernest Gallaudet Draper

The item was so off the radar, Ms. Swanson Beard says, “we had a hard time deciding if we were going to spell it -ie or -ey.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2015

Formerly, however, these words ended in -ie, and the real ending is therefore -s.

From An English Grammar by James Witt Sewell

Sing. of such Adjectives ends in -ie, not in ī.

From New Latin Grammar by Charles E. (Charles Edwin) Bennett

In the word doggie for dog, lassie for lass, the addition of the -ie makes the word not so much a diminutive as a term of tenderness or endearment.

From A Handbook of the English Language by R. G. (Robert Gordon) Latham

Vocative case, 17; 19, 1; —— of Greek proper names in -ās, 47, 4; —— of adjs. in -ius, 63, 1; 171; —— in -ī for -ie, 25, 1; —— position of, 350, 3.

From New Latin Grammar by Charles E. (Charles Edwin) Bennett

Several mentioned with disdain that people who aren’t in the class wondered why they didn’t “just Chat the books,” i.e., use AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

"I think you’ll see it used when it has to be used, i.e. when you’re communicating with the administration," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

What we have here might be an example of the Tinkerbell effect, named for the “Peter Pan” character who could be resurrected from death by audience participation, i.e. belief in fairies.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

I believe the show’s weak character development leads to plot confusion — i.e. making things hard to follow for those of us who haven’t read “Fire & Blood.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

“WOOt!” is an all-purpose expression of excitement, i.e.,

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Coming from the I.E., people weren’t really into fashion that way, or self-expression in general.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2023

I.E., from $1,000,000,000 in basically recurring revenue —  to $0.

From Forbes ● Apr. 25, 2013

Among the top-ranked institutions worldwide are the London Business School, the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland and those better known by their acronyms: Insead, Essec and H.E.C. in France; I.E. and the I.E.S.E.

From New York Times ● Jul. 22, 2011

Since then, Microsoft, spurred by its rivals' advances, has released the very good I.E.

From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2010

Nuniz states that his "Togao Mamede" conquered Gujarat, was at war with Bengal, and had trouble with the Turkomans on the borders of Sheik Ismail, I.E.

From A Forgotten Empire (Vijayanagar): a contribution to the history of India by Robert Sewell

Iran wants the war to stop as quickly as possible but not at any price - ie not if it means caving in to all Washington's demands.

From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026

If the test is negative for the Y chromosome - ie it is absent - the athlete is eligible to compete in the female category.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2025

"I suspect it is pretty bad- ie criminally damning- for him to risk this result which is financially ruinous and predicated on his discovery violations," he tweeted.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2023

"We will take the two #A340 out of service as soon as possible, ie in the coming weeks," it said in a post on X.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2023

It has ie in the middle, not ei.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

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Related Words

• especially
• expressly
• namely

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