diff --git a/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/AstPreprocessor.kt b/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/AstPreprocessor.kt
index 96b7bcc75..655823003 100644
--- a/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/AstPreprocessor.kt
+++ b/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/AstPreprocessor.kt
@@ -112,6 +112,8 @@ class AstPreprocessor(val program: Program,
             val replacements = mutableListOf<IAstModification>()
 
             for(decl in vars) {
+                if(shouldSplitArray(decl))
+                    continue  // splitting must be done first
                 if(decl.type != VarDeclType.VAR) {
                     movements.add(IAstModification.InsertFirst(decl, parentscope))
                     replacements.add(IAstModification.Remove(decl, scope))
@@ -179,9 +181,8 @@ class AstPreprocessor(val program: Program,
             }
         }
 
-        if(options.splitWordArrays && (decl.datatype==DataType.ARRAY_W || decl.datatype==DataType.ARRAY_UW)) {
-            if(!decl.definingBlock.isInLibrary)
-                return makeSplitArray(decl)
+        if(shouldSplitArray(decl)) {
+            return makeSplitArray(decl)
         }
 
         if(decl.datatype==DataType.ARRAY_W || decl.datatype==DataType.ARRAY_UW) {
@@ -194,10 +195,18 @@ class AstPreprocessor(val program: Program,
         return noModifications
     }
 
+    private fun shouldSplitArray(decl: VarDecl): Boolean =
+        options.splitWordArrays && (decl.datatype==DataType.ARRAY_W || decl.datatype==DataType.ARRAY_UW) && !decl.definingBlock.isInLibrary
+
     private fun makeSplitArray(decl: VarDecl): Iterable<IAstModification> {
+        val splitDt = when(decl.datatype) {
+            DataType.ARRAY_UW, DataType.ARRAY_UW_SPLIT -> DataType.ARRAY_UW_SPLIT
+            DataType.ARRAY_W,DataType.ARRAY_W_SPLIT -> DataType.ARRAY_W_SPLIT
+            else -> throw FatalAstException("invalid dt")
+        }
         val newDecl = VarDecl(
-            decl.type, decl.origin, decl.datatype, decl.zeropage, decl.arraysize, decl.name, emptyList(),
-            decl.value, decl.sharedWithAsm, true, decl.alignment, decl.position
+            decl.type, decl.origin, splitDt, decl.zeropage, decl.arraysize, decl.name, emptyList(),
+            decl.value?.copy(), decl.sharedWithAsm, true, decl.alignment, decl.position
         )
         return listOf(IAstModification.ReplaceNode(decl, newDecl, decl.parent))
     }
diff --git a/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/antlr/Antlr2Kotlin.kt b/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/antlr/Antlr2Kotlin.kt
index 0c0df4870..60c7f2e26 100644
--- a/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/antlr/Antlr2Kotlin.kt
+++ b/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/antlr/Antlr2Kotlin.kt
@@ -744,9 +744,15 @@ private fun VardeclContext.toAst(type: VarDeclType, value: Expression?): VarDecl
         } else arrayDt
     } else origDt
 
+    val datatype = if(!split) dt else when(dt) {
+        DataType.ARRAY_UW, DataType.ARRAY_UW_SPLIT -> DataType.ARRAY_UW_SPLIT
+        DataType.ARRAY_W,DataType.ARRAY_W_SPLIT -> DataType.ARRAY_W_SPLIT
+        else -> dt
+    }
+
     return VarDecl(
             type, VarDeclOrigin.USERCODE,
-            dt,
+            datatype,
             zp,
             arrayindex()?.toAst(),
             name,
diff --git a/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/expressions/AstExpressions.kt b/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/expressions/AstExpressions.kt
index ae0be1c75..300725598 100644
--- a/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/expressions/AstExpressions.kt
+++ b/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/expressions/AstExpressions.kt
@@ -892,7 +892,7 @@ class ArrayLiteral(val type: InferredTypes.InferredType,     // inferred because
         value.forEach {it.linkParents(this)}
     }
 
-    override fun copy() = throw NotImplementedError("no support for duplicating a ArrayLiteralValue")
+    override fun copy(): ArrayLiteral = ArrayLiteral(type, value.map { it.copy() }.toTypedArray(), position)
     override val isSimple = true
 
     override fun replaceChildNode(node: Node, replacement: Node) {
diff --git a/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/statements/AstStatements.kt b/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/statements/AstStatements.kt
index fe3c5af06..279d39ee5 100644
--- a/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/statements/AstStatements.kt
+++ b/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/statements/AstStatements.kt
@@ -274,6 +274,11 @@ class VarDecl(val type: VarDeclType,
         }
     }
 
+    init {
+        if(datatype in SplitWordArrayTypes)
+            require(splitArray)
+    }
+
     val isArray: Boolean
         get() = datatype in ArrayDatatypes
 
diff --git a/docs/source/todo.rst b/docs/source/todo.rst
index 527039d2c..cbc9371db 100644
--- a/docs/source/todo.rst
+++ b/docs/source/todo.rst
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 TODO
 ====
 
--splitarrays option gets the compiler in an infinite loop sometimes (on examples/animals.p8 for example)
+"cannot take address of split word array"  -> don't make this a fatal error, make it a warning and turn the array into a regular array instead
+(benchmark program/textelite should then be compilable with -splitarrays)
 
 merge problem: if 2 library modules both have merge, stuff breaks (math & prog8_math where prog8_math used to have math block.... didn't work)
 
diff --git a/examples/test.p8 b/examples/test.p8
index c858b56e6..ae1b46d11 100644
--- a/examples/test.p8
+++ b/examples/test.p8
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-%import math
 %import textio
 %option no_sysinit
 %zeropage basicsafe
@@ -6,15 +5,11 @@
 main {
 
     sub start() {
-        ubyte v1 = 100
-        ubyte v2 = 200
-
-        for cx16.r0L in 0 to 255 step 16 {
-            txt.print_ub(math.lerp(v1, v2, cx16.r0L))
+        if cx16.r0L==0 {
+            uword[] scores = [10, 25, 50, 100]      ; can never clear more than 4 lines at once
+            txt.print_uw(scores[1])
             txt.nl()
         }
-        txt.print_ub(math.lerp(v1, v2, 255))
-        txt.nl()
     }
 
 }