diff --git a/aes-32bit/aes.cpp b/aes-32bit/aes.cpp
index 5ab5990..5713875 100644
--- a/aes-32bit/aes.cpp
+++ b/aes-32bit/aes.cpp
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ AES specification:
 http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/fips/fips197/fips-197.pdf
 */
 
+#define WORD(byte0, byte1, byte2, byte3) ((((((uint16_t)(byte3 << 8) | byte2) << 8) | byte1) << 8) | byte0)
+
 /* AES Constants */
 // AES polynomial
 const uint16_t POLYNOMIAL = 0b100011011;
@@ -47,17 +49,13 @@ void hexprint16(uint8_t *p) {
     puts("");
 }
 
-uint32_t word(uint8_t a0, uint8_t a1, uint8_t a2, uint8_t a3) {
-    return a0 | (uint32_t)a1 << 8 | (uint32_t)a2 << 16 | (uint32_t)a3 << 24;
-}
-
 uint8_t wbyte(uint32_t w, int pos) {
     return (w >> (pos * 8)) & 0xff;
 }
 
 // **************** AES  functions ****************
 uint32_t subWord(uint32_t w) {
-    return word(SBOX[wbyte(w, 0)], SBOX[wbyte(w, 1)], SBOX[wbyte(w, 2)], SBOX[wbyte(w, 3)]);
+    return WORD(SBOX[wbyte(w, 0)], SBOX[wbyte(w, 1)], SBOX[wbyte(w, 2)], SBOX[wbyte(w, 3)]);
 }
 
 void subBytes(t_state s) {
@@ -123,7 +121,7 @@ void mixColumns(t_state s) {
 // Taken from: https://www.brainkart.com/article/AES-Key-Expansion_8410/
 void expandKey(uint8_t k[16], uint32_t ek[44]) {
     for (uint8_t i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
-        ek[i] = word(k[i * 4], k[i * 4 + 1], k[i * 4 + 2], k[i * 4 + 3]);
+        ek[i] = WORD(k[i * 4], k[i * 4 + 1], k[i * 4 + 2], k[i * 4 + 3]);
     }
 
     for (uint8_t i = 4; i < 44; i++) {
@@ -155,7 +153,7 @@ void aes(uint8_t *in, uint8_t *out, uint8_t *skey)
     t_state state;
 
     for (uint8_t i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
-        state[i] = word(in[i * 4], in[i * 4 + 1], in[i * 4 + 2], in[i * 4 + 3]);
+        state[i] = WORD(in[i * 4], in[i * 4 + 1], in[i * 4 + 2], in[i * 4 + 3]);
     }
 
     uint32_t expKey[11 * 4];