The spelling of the phrase "were beside" might be confusing for some English learners. The pronunciation of the word "were" is /wər/, while the pronunciation of the word "beside" is /bɪˈsaɪd/. The stress falls on the second syllable of "beside". When used together, the phrase means "were in close proximity". It's important to practice pronunciation and spelling of English words to avoid confusion and effectively communicate with others.