diff --git a/libguile/syntax.c b/libguile/syntax.c
index 6e298e5e9..6df72f3f1 100644
--- a/libguile/syntax.c
+++ b/libguile/syntax.c
@@ -40,14 +40,13 @@
 
 
 
-enum
+struct scm_syntax
 {
-  TAG_WORD,
-  EXPR_WORD,
-  WRAP_WORD,
-  MODULE_WORD,
-  SOURCE_WORD,
-  WORD_COUNT
+  scm_t_bits tag;
+  SCM expr;
+  SCM wrap;
+  SCM module;
+  SCM source;
 };
 
 static int
@@ -56,6 +55,20 @@ scm_is_syntax (SCM x)
   return SCM_HAS_TYP7 (x, scm_tc7_syntax);
 }
 
+static inline struct scm_syntax *
+scm_to_syntax (SCM x)
+{
+  if (!scm_is_syntax (x))
+    abort ();
+  return (struct scm_syntax *) SCM_UNPACK_POINTER (x);
+}
+
+static inline SCM
+scm_from_syntax (struct scm_syntax *stx)
+{
+  return SCM_PACK_POINTER (stx);
+}
+
 #define SCM_VALIDATE_SYNTAX(pos, scm) \
   SCM_I_MAKE_VALIDATE_MSG2 (pos, scm, scm_is_syntax, "syntax object")
 
@@ -79,13 +92,15 @@ SCM_DEFINE (scm_make_syntax, "make-syntax", 3, 1, 0,
   else if (!scm_is_eq (source, SCM_BOOL_F))
     SCM_VALIDATE_VECTOR (1, source);
 
-  SCM ret = scm_words (scm_tc7_syntax, WORD_COUNT);
-  SCM_SET_CELL_OBJECT (ret, EXPR_WORD, exp);
-  SCM_SET_CELL_OBJECT (ret, WRAP_WORD, wrap);
-  SCM_SET_CELL_OBJECT (ret, MODULE_WORD, module);
-  SCM_SET_CELL_OBJECT (ret, SOURCE_WORD, source);
+  struct scm_syntax *ret = scm_allocate_tagged (SCM_I_CURRENT_THREAD,
+                                                sizeof (*ret));
+  ret->tag = scm_tc7_syntax;
+  ret->expr = exp;
+  ret->wrap = wrap;
+  ret->module = module;
+  ret->source = source;
 
-  return ret;
+  return scm_from_syntax (ret);
 }
 #undef FUNC_NAME
 
@@ -95,7 +110,7 @@ SCM_DEFINE (scm_syntax_expression, "syntax-expression", 1, 0, 0,
 #define FUNC_NAME s_scm_syntax_expression
 {
   SCM_VALIDATE_SYNTAX (1, obj);
-  return SCM_CELL_OBJECT (obj, EXPR_WORD);
+  return scm_to_syntax (obj)->expr;
 }
 #undef FUNC_NAME
 
@@ -105,7 +120,7 @@ SCM_DEFINE (scm_syntax_wrap, "syntax-wrap", 1, 0, 0,
 #define FUNC_NAME s_scm_syntax_wrap
 {
   SCM_VALIDATE_SYNTAX (1, obj);
-  return SCM_CELL_OBJECT (obj, WRAP_WORD);
+  return scm_to_syntax (obj)->wrap;
 }
 #undef FUNC_NAME
 
@@ -115,7 +130,7 @@ SCM_DEFINE (scm_syntax_module, "syntax-module", 1, 0, 0,
 #define FUNC_NAME s_scm_syntax_module
 {
   SCM_VALIDATE_SYNTAX (1, obj);
-  return SCM_CELL_OBJECT (obj, MODULE_WORD);
+  return scm_to_syntax (obj)->module;
 }
 #undef FUNC_NAME
 
@@ -128,7 +143,7 @@ SCM_DEFINE (scm_syntax_source, "syntax-source", 1, 0, 0,
 #define FUNC_NAME s_scm_syntax_source
 {
   SCM_VALIDATE_SYNTAX (1, obj);
-  return SCM_CELL_OBJECT (obj, SOURCE_WORD);
+  return scm_to_syntax (obj)->source;
 }
 #undef FUNC_NAME