What this suffix does
-side forms place compounds meaning "next to something": bedside, lakeside, roadside, fireside.
ESEN
Suffix · forms nouns / adjectives
-side
Forms compounds naming a place next to or at the edge of something: bedside, fireside, lakeside, hillside, ringside, alongside.
In Spanish: junto al / al lado delIntermediate
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
How it is formed
Noun + side.
- bed + sidebedside
- lake + sidelakeside
- fire + sidefireside
This is not a productive rule you can apply freely: it is a closed set of fixed expressions. Learn them one by one as set phrases.
How it is pronounced
-side/saɪd/ · sounds like "side"
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
Examples
Base word
With -side
In a phrase
- alongalongsideShe walked alongside her sister the whole way.
- bedbedsideThe nurse checked on him at his bedside every hour.
- firefiresideThey told stories by the fireside all evening.
- ringringsideHe had a ringside seat for the boxing match.
- lakelakesideWe rented a cabin by the lakeside for the weekend.
- hillhillsideSheep were grazing on the hillside.
- waywaysideThe old plan was left by the wayside when the budget got cut.
- roadroadsideThey stopped at a roadside stand to buy fruit.
Common mistakes
fall by the roadside
fall by the wayside
The idiomatic expression is "fall by the wayside" (fail to continue, be abandoned). "Roadside" is not part of this phrase.
a bedside of the bed
a bedside table / at the bedside
"Bedside" already implies the bed. Say "bedside table," "bedside manner," "at the bedside" — never "bedside of the bed."
A trick to remember it
"-side" = right next to something, literal. Picture standing exactly there: bed-SIDE, lake-SIDE.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"To fall by the wayside" means...
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Frequently asked questions
What does the suffix -side mean in English?
The suffix -side forms compounds naming a place next to or at the edge of something: bedside, fireside, lakeside, hillside, ringside, alongside. In Spanish it usually maps to junto al / al lado del.
How do you pronounce -side?
The ending -side is pronounced /saɪd/ · sounds like "side". For example, "alongside".
Can you give an example of a word with -side?
"along" becomes "alongside". It is a typical example of the -side suffix.
Other useful suffixes
-scape
From Dutch "landschap" (landscape): forms nouns for panoramic views or entire realms. Landscape, seascape, moonscape, cityscape, dreamscape, soundscape, mindscape, cloudscape.
-ward / -wards
Turns a direction word into a direction adverb/adjective: inward, outward, forward. Works with almost any direction word, it is productive.
-wise
Turns a word into an adverb of manner or direction: otherwise, likewise, clockwise. It is also used freely today to mean "in terms of X": money-wise, career-wise, weather-wise.
Learn every English suffix
-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.