Abstract: A solution to the word alignment problem in a Serializer Deserializer (SERDES)/Media Access Controller environment is to have for each SERDES lane: a recovered clock, a Write Pointer counter and a FIFO. Misaligned words are simply stored in their FIFO's according to the respective recovered clocks and straightforward increments of the various Write Pointers WP_i. One of the lanes is selected as a reference, and the contents of the other FIFO's are inspected to determine the nature of their misalignment, if any. Then the values from the Read Pointer counters RP_i are individually offset by corresponding amounts to compensate for the misalignment, so that when data is read it is indeed aligned. These offsets by corresponding amounts are simply individual per lane adjustments to the various Read Pointers, and cooperate with the adjustments to those Read Pointer for rate matching.