Word Differences
Beside vs. Besides: What’s the Difference?
Beside means next to; besides means in addition to or apart from. A clear breakdown with examples and a quiz.
By Vocabaura Editorial · Published 14 August 2026 · 5 min read
Quick answer
Beside means physically next to something. Besides means “in addition to” or “apart from.” They aren’t interchangeable, despite the near-identical spelling.
The extra “s” on besides looks like a typo, but it marks a genuinely different word with a different job. Beside is about physical position; besides is about adding information. Dropping or adding that letter changes what the sentence means.
Beside: Meaning and Use
Beside (bih-SYDE) is a preposition meaning next to or at the side of. It’s almost always physical or spatial.
- She sat beside her sister during the flight.
- The lamp stands beside the bed.
- He was beside himself with worry.
Besides: Meaning and Use
Besides (bih-SYDEZ) can be a preposition meaning “in addition to” or “apart from,” or an adverb meaning “also” or “moreover.” It’s about adding or excluding items from consideration, not about location.
- Besides the salad, I ordered soup.
- There’s no one here besides me.
- I don’t feel like going out. Besides, it’s raining.
Which Word Should I Use?
Ask whether the sentence is about physical placement or about extra information. If you could replace the word with “next to,” use beside. If you could replace it with “in addition to,” “apart from,” or “also,” use besides.
| Beside | Besides | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Next to (position) | In addition to / apart from |
| Part of speech | Preposition | Preposition or adverb |
| Test | Swap in “next to” | Swap in “also” or “apart from” |
| Example | Sit beside me. | Besides tea, we have coffee. |
Quick check
Which word completes this sentence?
“He parked ___ the garage. (______)”
Free practice, no account or AI credits needed. Keep reading below.
Common Mistakes
- “Besides the fireplace” when you mean physically next to it, should be “beside the fireplace.”
- “What else do you need beside this?” should be “besides this.”
- Assuming the words are simply formal/informal variants of each other, they aren’t; the meanings differ.
- Forgetting the idiom “beside oneself,” which means extremely emotional, not physically located anywhere.
Practice
Fill the blank
He parked ___ the garage. (beside)
Fill the blank
___ the cost, the location is also inconvenient. (Besides)
Test yourself
0 of 4 answered
Free practice, no account or credits needed.
1. “The dog slept ___ the fire.”
2. “___ singing, she also plays piano.”
3. Which word can function as an adverb?
4. What does “beside oneself” mean?