The performance of multimode interference (MMI) couplers is limited by the presence of phase errors that represent the deviation of the propagation constants of the modes from the quadratic dependence on their order. In this work, we propose a simple and effective method for reducing the phase errors of spatial modes to a relatively high order by forming rectangular grooves near the side edges of the MMI coupler along its entire length. The influence of the groove dimensions and position on the propagation constants of higher-order modes is analyzed using the perturbation method and strict vector simulations for high- and medium-index contrast material platforms. Through numerical simulations, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in improving the performance of air-cladded dual-mode (T E 0 and T E 1) MMI-based 50:50 and 100:0 splitters for 1.31 µm wavelength made of medium- and high-contrast materials, T i O 2:S i O 2/S i O 2 and S i/S i O 2, respectively.