Confused Words: Beside vs. Besides

Hello eager learners! Today, we’re diving into the intriguing world of English prepositions, particularly the often mixed-up beside and besides. Despite sounding similar, these two words have distinct meanings and uses.

Beside

Beside (IPA: /bɪˈsaɪd/) is a preposition which means ‘next to’ or ‘at the side of’.

Let’s consider 5 examples:

1. The dog sat beside the boy. (The dog sat next to the boy)
2. Please put the plates beside the cups. (Please put the plates next to the cups)
3. She sat beside me during the concert. (She sat next to me during the concert)
4. The house is right beside the river. (The house is right next to the river)
5. He stood beside his mother in the family photo. (He stood next to his mother in the family photo)

Besides

Besides (IPA: /bɪˈsaɪdz/) has two main uses: it can mean ‘in addition to’ or ‘except for’.

Here are 5 examples:

1. Besides pizza, we also have pasta and salad. (In addition to pizza, we also have pasta and salad)
2. What other sports do you like besides football? (What other sports do you like in addition to football?)
3. She has no family besides her two children. (She has no family except for her two children)
4. He did nothing all day besides watch TV. (He did nothing all day except for watching TV)
5. Besides you, everyone else is here. (Everyone else is here except for you)

Conclusion

To summarize, beside typically refers to physical proximity—being next to something—while besides is used to mean ‘in addition to’ or ‘except for’. Keep these differences in mind, and you’ll always use these two words correctly!