beside

/bɪˈsaɪd/

//bɪˈsaɪd// prep

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"beside" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“beside” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,190 in English word frequency and used as a preposition.

#5,190
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Next to; at the side of.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

beside vs bide
67% similar
beside vs bride
67% similar
beside vs Bessie
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for beside
PropertyValue
Headwordbeside
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPreposition
IPA/bɪˈsaɪd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#5,190
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “beside” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). beside lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for beside is 6 letters long, classified as a preposition, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bɪˈsaɪd/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,190 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for beside, with forms such as "bbeside", "beisde", and "besdie". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "bide", "bride", "Bessie", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English beside, besiden, bisyde (also besides > besides), from Old English be sīdan, bī sīdan (“by the side (of), on the side (of)”). Compare Saterland Frisian biesiede (“aside”), German Low German bisied (“aside”), German beiseite (“aside, to o… The correct English form is beside, spelled B-E-S-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Next to; at the side of.
  2. 2
    Not relevant to.
  3. 3
    Besides; in addition to.

Etymology

From Middle English beside, besiden, bisyde (also besides > besides), from Old English be sīdan, bī sīdan (“by the side (of), on the side (of)”). Compare Saterland Frisian biesiede (“aside”), German Low German bisied (“aside”), German beiseite (“aside, to one side”). Compare also Dutch terzijde (“aside”). By surface analysis, be- + side.

This word in other languages

cabe(Español)auprès de(Français)neben(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbeside,beisde,besdie,besidde,besied,besside,bseide,ebside

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of beside - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bbeside1beisde2besdie2besidde1besied2besside1bseide2ebside2
Edit distance from "beside"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "beside"?
"beside" is spelled B-E-S-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈsaɪd/.
What does "beside" mean?
As a preposition, "beside" means: Next to; at the side of.
What words are commonly confused with "beside"?
"beside" is commonly confused with "bide", "bride", "Bessie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "beside"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "beside" is /bɪˈsaɪd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "beside"?
From Middle English beside, besiden, bisyde (also besides > besides), from Old English be sīdan, bī sīdan (“by the side (of), on the side (of)”). Compare Saterland Frisian biesiede (“aside”), German Low German bisied (“aside”), German beiseite (“a... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “beside”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-E-S-I-D-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bɪˈsaɪd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “bide” - see the side-by-side comparison. beside vs bide
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list