It is not uncommon to get confused with the terms beside and besides. Not only do these two words look alike, they also sound alike. However, they actually have distinct uses and meanings and cannot be interchanged.
The word beside is used as a preposition meaning “at the side of” or “next to.”
“Tory pledges to protect students at Toronto school beside condo development”
Yahoo! News“Tom Hiddleston’s terror at filming beside the world’s most dangerous animals on the set of Kong: Skull Island”
Mirror.co.uk“Couple dumped drug overdose victim beside sewage plant”
STV News
It may also be used as a preposition meaning “in addition to” or “apart from.”
“In Stephen Miller’s world, reality is beside the point”
Washington Post“Report: Beside Washington, Kirk Cousins would only sign with 49ers”
Easy Bay Times“Beside 7 Percent Hike In Defence Budget, China To Not Make Actual Spending Target Public”
NDTV
The word besides is used in a similar manner as a preposition meaning “in addition to” or “apart from.”
“WHO frets over 12 drug-resistant bacteria besides TB”
Times of India“Who Has Andrew Garfield Dated Besides Emma Stone? Here’s A Look At His Relationship History”
Bustle“9 Large Retailers Besides J.C. Penney Are Closing Waves of Stores”
TheStreet.com
Also, the term can be used as an adverb which means “morever” or “furthermore.”
“Besides, two new engineering colleges have been set up”
Daily News & Analysis
It may also mean “in addition” as an adverb,
“What Besides ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Tops ‘Beauty And The Beast’ In 2017?”
Forbes
To avoid confusion, it is advised that you use the term beside only if you are referring to a preposition meaning “at the side of” or “next to” while you must opt for the word besides if you mean “in addition to” or “furthermore.”