Is there a difference between "эго" and "это" or the are the same?

Question

I have 2 questions about the same words:

1. Is there a difference between эго and это or the are the same? (I've noticed that the uses of both is almost in the same context, and I suspect that they are synonyms.)

2. In addition, I'm not sure if the letter г in this case is pronounced the same as the letter т, and then эго and это are pronounced the same.

Answer 1

These are two completely different words.

Эго is a noun which means ego. In most cases, it means a (usually boosted) sense of self-importance, for example у него непомерно раздутое эго. In Russian, эго in such meaning has negative connotations. Sometimes эго means Freudian or philosophical concept of ego.

Это means it. (There are other, similar, meanings.)

Sometimes, это is mistyped as эго, as a typo. Often the source of the typo is a computer recognition error. Since г and т are visually similar, and both words do exist, a recognition software can easily confuse between the two words. Example:

Но эго как раз тот случай, когда интуиция обманывает. 

This is an obvious typo (should be это).

Answer 2

My intuition is that perhaps you meant его (as a Single Genitive Case of он(о)) instead of эго, which is more likely to be 'used almost in the same context' as это, or perhaps него.

The differences shall be as follows:

1. это (Gen. Sg. этого [étava]) = a) demonstrative pronoun (or b) neutrum descriptive pronoun).

a) Это миелофон. = This is a mind-reading device.

b) Это слово - из фантастического фильма. = This word [comes] from a sci-fi movie.

Cf: Этот миелофон не работает / выключен. = This mind-reading device is off.

2. его [(j)ivó] = Gen. Sg. of он (he => him) or это (it), used most often as a case of direct (animate, in case of он) object, or as b) Partitive Genitive, or as c) Possessive Genitive, or :

a) Вижу его. = I see him / it.

b) Его там нет. = He is not there (lit. it's like 'There is no him there').

c) Это - его. = This belongs to him / This is his (lit. = ...of him).

3. него [nivó] = Gen.Sg.2 , used most often with prepositions:

Это - для / от него. = This is for / from him.

Этого = Gen. Sg. of это or этот (both as demonstrative and descriptive pronoun):

У меня этого нет. / Это у меня. = I don't have it/this/that.// I have it/this/that.

Other examples (try to deduce to which type of usage each form is related):

Этот миелофон - у меня. = I have (got) this/that mind-reading device.

У него этого миелофона нет. = He doesn't have this/that/such a mind-reading device.

У него этого нет. = He doesn't have this/that/it. = У него его нет. = He doesn't have this/that/it / He is not at his place (chez lui).

У меня его нет. = I don't have this/that/it. / He is not at my place (chez moi).

Therefore I suppose that perhaps you meant the interchangeability of это VS его in the sub-category of 2. a) and 2.b types (direct objects and existential sentences).

So, basically, the interchangeability between это and его occurs in a case of Masculine (Inanimate) nouns.