diff --git a/lib/parfait/indexed.rb b/lib/parfait/indexed.rb
index ed71ac26..7e90678f 100644
--- a/lib/parfait/indexed.rb
+++ b/lib/parfait/indexed.rb
@@ -99,8 +99,8 @@ module Parfait
     # This is off course 0 for a list, unless someone squeezed an instance variable in
     # but additionally, the amount of data comes on top.
     # unfortuntely we can't just use super because of the Padding
-    def word_length
-      padded_words( get_layout().get_length() +  get_length() )
+    def padded_length
+      padded_words( get_layout().instance_length +  get_length() )
     end
 
     def each
diff --git a/lib/parfait/object.rb b/lib/parfait/object.rb
index ff2a7040..dacfaecd 100644
--- a/lib/parfait/object.rb
+++ b/lib/parfait/object.rb
@@ -92,8 +92,8 @@ module Parfait
       get_layout().variable_index(name)
     end
 
-    def word_length
-      padded_words( get_layout().get_length() )
+    def padded_length
+      padded_words( get_layout().instance_length )
     end
 
     # Object
diff --git a/lib/register/parfait_adapter.rb b/lib/register/parfait_adapter.rb
index 48cae018..d35e2bc7 100644
--- a/lib/register/parfait_adapter.rb
+++ b/lib/register/parfait_adapter.rb
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@ class Symbol
     #puts "LL #{l.class}"
     l
   end
-  def word_length
-    padded to_s.length
+  def padded_length
+    padded to_s.length + 4
   end
   # not the prettiest addition to the game, but it wasn't me who decided symbols are frozen in 2.x
   def cache_positions
diff --git a/test/register/test_positioning.rb b/test/register/test_positioning.rb
index f1648b96..704dafb4 100644
--- a/test/register/test_positioning.rb
+++ b/test/register/test_positioning.rb
@@ -7,21 +7,21 @@ class TestPositioning < MiniTest::Test
   def test_list1
     list = Register.new_list([1])
     list.set_layout( Parfait::Layout.new Object)
-    assert_equal 32 , list.word_length
+    assert_equal 32 , list.padded_length
   end
   def test_list5
     list = Register.new_list([1,2,3,4,5])
     list.set_layout( Parfait::Layout.new Object)
-    assert_equal 32 , list.word_length
+    assert_equal 32 , list.padded_length
   end
   def test_layout
     layout = Parfait::Layout.new Object
     layout.set_layout( Parfait::Layout.new Object)
     layout.push 5
-    assert_equal 32 , layout.word_length
+    assert_equal 32 , layout.padded_length
   end
   def test_word
     word = Parfait::Word.new(12)
-    assert_equal 32 , word.word_length
+    assert_equal 32 , word.padded_length
   end
 end