Common mistakes
Beside or besides: place, addition, and sentence position
A bag beside the chair has a physical position. Besides the bag, you may need a coat as well. One final s changes the job of the word.
Use beside to show position next to something and besides to add another reason, fact, or item.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
beside and besides /bɪˈsaɪd/ and /bɪˈsaɪdz/
The short answer
Use beside before a person or thing when you mean next to it. Use besides when you are adding something else, an extra reason, or an additional fact.
Ravi sat beside his sister during the concert.
Why it works: Beside tells us where Ravi sat: next to his sister.
3 more examples
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The umbrella is beside the front door.
Beside gives the umbrella's position next to the door.
Not this:
Besides the umbrella, take a warm scarf. What changes: Besides adds the scarf as another item to take; it does not describe a location. -
Please leave an empty seat beside Maya.
The empty seat should be next to Maya.
Not this:
Besides Maya, three volunteers offered to help. What changes: Besides means that Maya is one person and three more people offered help. -
The path runs beside the canal for a mile.
Beside describes the position of the path next to the canal.
Not this:
Besides the canal path, there is a shorter route through the park. What changes: Besides introduces an additional route rather than a physical position.
Read the full guide
Start with the meaning you need. If you could replace the word with next to, choose beside. If you could replace it with in addition to or also, choose besides.
Use beside for a position
Beside is a preposition of place. Put it before the person, object, or place that something is next to. It answers a where question.
A bicycle was leaning beside the gate.
The bicycle was next to the gate. That is the same basic meaning as beside the gate.
Use besides to add something
Besides introduces an extra person, object, idea, or reason. It often means in addition to or apart from. The extra item does not need to be physically near anything.
Besides the tickets, bring your photo identification.
The identification is another required item. Besides does not tell us where the tickets are.
Which word fits if you mean next to the tickets on a desk?
Use beside: Your identification is beside the tickets. The sentence describes the position of the two items.
Notice what follows the word
Both words can be followed by a noun phrase, so the grammar alone may not solve the choice. Read the meaning after the word. Beside the lamp describes a place. Besides the lamp introduces another thing to consider.
The notebook is beside the lamp.
Besides the lamp, the desk needs a new chair.
In the first sentence, the notebook has a location. In the second, the chair is another item in the discussion.
Use besides to add a whole point
Besides can also introduce an extra comment or reason. In this position, it is often followed by a comma. It is common in conversation and informal writing when a speaker adds one more point.
I will take the bus; besides, parking is expensive.
Besides adds a second reason for taking the bus. It cannot be replaced with next to.
Can beside begin this kind of extra reason?
No. Use besides when you mean also or moreover. Beside is for position, apart from set expressions such as beside the point.
Learn the fixed expression beside the point
Beside the point means not relevant to the main issue. Although it is not about a physical position, the fixed expression keeps the spelling beside.
Whether the old design was popular is beside the point; the page must be accessible now.
The sentence says that the old design's popularity is not relevant. It does not add another reason, so besides would be wrong here.
Make the final choice by meaning
Ask a short question before you write. Is something next to something else? Use beside. Are you adding an item or reason? Use besides. This test works even when both words are followed by the same kind of noun phrase.
She stood beside the noticeboard.
Her position is next to the noticeboard. In Besides the noticeboard, the entrance needs clearer signs, the word would add another issue.
Before you go
Remember this
Use beside for next to: beside the window, beside us, beside the road. Use besides to add: besides coffee, besides my brother, or Besides, it is too late. Check whether the sentence is about place or addition.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Beside or besides: place, addition, and sentence position"
What is the difference between beside and besides?
Beside means next to and usually describes a position, as in The umbrella is beside the front door. Besides adds something else, as in Besides the umbrella, take a warm scarf.
The umbrella is beside the front door.
Can beside and besides both come before a noun?
Yes, but their meanings differ. Beside Maya means next to Maya, while Besides Maya, three volunteers offered to help adds other people to the statement. Read the meaning, not only the noun after the word.
Besides the umbrella, take a warm scarf.
Can besides start a sentence?
Yes. Besides can introduce an additional point or reason. For example, Besides the canal path, there is a shorter route through the park adds another route to the discussion.
Please leave an empty seat beside Maya.
Why is there a comma after besides sometimes?
When Besides adds a whole extra comment, it is often followed by a comma: I will take the bus; besides, parking is expensive. The comma helps show that a new reason is being added.
Besides Maya, three volunteers offered to help.
Is beside the point correct?
Yes. Beside the point is a fixed expression meaning irrelevant to the issue. For example, a question about an old design can be beside the point when the current page needs clearer signs.
The path runs beside the canal for a mile.
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