Abstract: A high-speed decoder is disclosed which operates on variable word length data, but accepts an incoming compressed data stream comprising a series of fixed length tokens, each of which can represent one or more pixels. The decoder comprises a translation unit which, in any given decoding cycle, decodes one pixel, and which forwards any remaining information available in the current token, but not used to decode the current pixel, for use in decoding the next pixel. The translator unit, which is table driven, is not required to explicitly shift or align the remaining data, nor is it required to explicitly determine the length of the current pixel before decoding the next. The high speed of the decoder derives from parallel decoding using the table-lookup method, combined with the absence of bit-shifting delays in the feedback critical path. The decoder employs a modified, truncated Huffman coding method which enables the decoding hardware to operate at up to 33 million pixels per second.