diff --git a/codeOptimizers/src/prog8/optimizer/ExpressionSimplifier.kt b/codeOptimizers/src/prog8/optimizer/ExpressionSimplifier.kt
index 18290b502..9234081fb 100644
--- a/codeOptimizers/src/prog8/optimizer/ExpressionSimplifier.kt
+++ b/codeOptimizers/src/prog8/optimizer/ExpressionSimplifier.kt
@@ -592,7 +592,7 @@ class ExpressionSimplifier(private val program: Program,
                     return NumericLiteral(targetDt, 0.0, expr.position)
                 }
             }
-            DataType.UWORD, DataType.WORD -> {
+            DataType.UWORD -> {
                 if (amount >= 16) {
                     errors.warn("shift always results in 0", expr.position)
                     return NumericLiteral(targetDt, 0.0, expr.position)
@@ -609,6 +609,25 @@ class ExpressionSimplifier(private val program: Program,
                     return FunctionCallExpression(IdentifierReference(listOf("mkword"), expr.position), mutableListOf(shifted, NumericLiteral.optimalInteger(0, expr.position)), expr.position)
                 }
             }
+            DataType.WORD -> {
+                if (amount >= 16) {
+                    errors.warn("shift always results in 0", expr.position)
+                    return NumericLiteral(targetDt, 0.0, expr.position)
+                }
+                else if(amount==8) {
+                    // shift left by 8 bits is just a byte operation: mkword(lsb(X), 0)
+                    val lsb = FunctionCallExpression(IdentifierReference(listOf("lsb"), expr.position), mutableListOf(expr.left), expr.position)
+                    val mkword =  FunctionCallExpression(IdentifierReference(listOf("mkword"), expr.position), mutableListOf(lsb, NumericLiteral(DataType.UBYTE, 0.0, expr.position)), expr.position)
+                    return TypecastExpression(mkword, DataType.WORD, true, expr.position)
+                }
+                else if (amount > 8) {
+                    // same as above but with residual shifts.
+                    val lsb = FunctionCallExpression(IdentifierReference(listOf("lsb"), expr.position), mutableListOf(expr.left), expr.position)
+                    val shifted = BinaryExpression(lsb, "<<", NumericLiteral.optimalInteger(amount - 8, expr.position), expr.position)
+                    val mkword = FunctionCallExpression(IdentifierReference(listOf("mkword"), expr.position), mutableListOf(shifted, NumericLiteral.optimalInteger(0, expr.position)), expr.position)
+                    return TypecastExpression(mkword, DataType.WORD, true, expr.position)
+                }
+            }
             else -> {
             }
         }
diff --git a/docs/source/todo.rst b/docs/source/todo.rst
index 521ecd8c4..be9a59dea 100644
--- a/docs/source/todo.rst
+++ b/docs/source/todo.rst
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ TODO
 
 For next release
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-- word << 12  is suddenly an uword
 - ir/vm: allow label in block scope
 - regression test the various projects
 - 6502 codegen: make it possible to use cpu opcodes such as 'nop' as variable names by prefixing all asm vars with something such as ``p8v_``? Or not worth it (most 3 letter opcodes as variables are nonsensical anyway)