Abstract: A system for the efficient decoding of data encoded with variable length codes uses an N-bit buffer as an index to a data look-up table or other suitable data structure. The encoded data is stored in an encoded data storage area and extracted N bits at a time. The N bits are used as an index or indicator to a location within the data look-up table. The contents of the data look-up table in the indicated location correspond to one or more decoded tokens and also provide an indication of the number of data bits from the N-bit buffer that were used to represent the decoded tokens. A pointer is incremented by the number and indicates a location within the encoded data storage area where the next N bits will be extracted and stored in the buffer. If the N-bit buffer is greater than or equal to the maximal length for the variable codes, at least one valid token is guaranteed as a result of a single data look-up operation. However, a data look-up operation typically results in a plurality of decoded tokens.