Traditionally, a byte is a sequence of 8 adjacent bits operated upon as a unit. However, the TMS320C2x/C2xx/C5x byte is 16 bits.

By ANSI C definition, the sizeof operator yields the number of bytes required to store an object. ANSI further stipulates that when sizeof is applied to char, the result is 1. Since the TMS320C2x/C2xx/C5x char is 16 bits (to make it separately addressable), a byte is also 16 bits. This can yield unexpected results; for example, sizeof (int) = = 1 (not 2).

TMS320C2x/C2xx/C5x bytes and words are equivalent (16 bits).

A byte is 32 bits for the TMS320C3x/C4x. On a parallel processor and the ’C6x, where the smallest addressable unit is 8 bits in length, the C definition corresponds to the traditional notion of an 8-bit byte.