When should you use beside or besides? Only an ‘s’ separates these two words, so it’s understandable that they are often mixed up.
The good news is that they do have distinct meanings, and once you have wrapped your head around this, you should find it easier to work out when to use besides vs beside. We even have a quick tip for remembering the difference.
So, let’s take a look at what sets these two words apart.
What is the difference between beside and besides?
The difference between beside and besides is twofold: they act as different parts of speech and have different meanings. Here is the short explanation:
Beside is a preposition meaning next to or at the side of Besides as a preposition means as well as, in addition to or apart from. Besides as an adverb means in addition, furthermore or anyway.
This may be all the explanation you need to answer your question, but if this doesn’t make things much clearer yet, don’t worry. We’ll go into more detail about how and when to use besides or beside.
It’s worth mentioning that ‘besides’ is an example of a transition word used for addition, but there are many alternative words you can use if you find this one too confusing!
Quick tip
Try remembering the difference this way:
Besides is usually about addition in some sense, so remember to use the word with the added ‘s’ when talking about addition.
Beside is about being at the side of something or someone.
Example sentences using beside (next to, at the side of)
- My cat likes to sit beside me when I watch TV.
- I’m sure I put my book beside the sofa but now I can’t find it.
- They are building a new gym beside the fire station.
- When you set the table, place the napkins to the right, beside the knives.
Example sentences using besides as a preposition
As a preposition, ‘besides’ means as well as, in addition to or apart from:
- Who is coming to the party besides the two of us?
- Do you need me to bring anything to the meeting besides the agenda?
- He swore that he would love nobody besides her.
See also: Apart vs a part
‘Besides’ can also be used to link clauses:
- Besides being a talented artist, James is an excellent cook.
- We walked around several art galleries besides visiting the main tourist attractions.
Note: As the English language evolves, it’s becoming more common to see ‘beside’ used in the above contexts too. However, ‘besides’ can never be used to mean ‘next to’.
Example sentences using besides as an adverb
Placed at the end of a clause, ‘besides’ means in addition or as well:
- We offer marketing, printing, and many other services besides.
- They earn enough to cover basic living costs but not much besides.
In the first example you could use ‘too’ in place of ‘beside’. ‘Too’ is another commonly confused word; read about too vs to here.
We use ‘besides’ as an adverb to state an additional point or give additional information, often as an afterthought:
- We’d better head home now to avoid rush hour. Besides, it looks like it’s about to rain.
- I don’t feel like going to the cinema tonight, and besides, I don’t have enough money.
Phrases and idioms using beside or besides
Above we have covered the main rules for using beside vs besides, but now let’s look at some common phrases and idioms that use these words. If you learn these few, you’ll be off to a great start with knowing the difference between beside and besides.
Beside the point or besides the point?
The correct version is beside the point. That’s because this idiom refers to something that is insignificant, irrelevant, or tangential to the main issue at hand.
- Whether you’re tired or not is beside the point; you promised you’d take me shopping!
- I know he’s made mistakes in the past but that’s beside the point.
You can imagine that the main point is the central focus, and the topic being described as ‘beside the point’ is off to the side somewhere.
Beside myself or besides myself?
The correct idiom is beside myself (also beside yourself, beside him/herself, etc.). It means that you are in an extreme state of emotion, which is usually specified by saying ‘beside oneself with …’:
- She was beside herself with excitement after passing her driving test.
- Seeing people littering makes me beside myself with anger.
- Please send us a message if you’re going to be out late, otherwise your mother will be beside herself with worry.
However, sometimes the emotion is clear from the context and there is no need to specify it:
- It’s understandable that John was beside himself when his wife died.
- I can’t find my car keys anywhere and I’m late to pick the kids up! I’m absolutely beside myself!
Beside that or besides that?
In this case, both usages can be correct. You have to judge based on the context:
- Can you see the green lamp? Beside that is the photograph I’m talking about. [next to]
- I need to pick up some dog food later but besides that, I have a free day. [apart from]
Besides me or beside me?
Again, the answer to this ‘beside vs besides’ question depends on the context:
- Beside me in the photograph is my grandfather. [next to]
- Is anybody from our team attending the meeting besides me? [in addition to]
Beside you or besides you?
Similar to the example above, both beside and besides can be correct:
- Who is that standing beside you? [next to]
- Besides you, I have invited Jessica and Louise to dinner. [as well as]
The same applies whichever pronoun you place after beside or besides. You can read more about forming questions with who and whom here.
And that’s about all there is to know about the difference between beside and besides. We hope this explanation has helped you understand when to use one word or the other.
If you’re still uncertain or have a particular example you would like to check, feel free to leave a comment below. And keep browsing our free resources to strengthen your knowledge of English.
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