diff --git a/src/CodingTheory.jl b/src/CodingTheory.jl
index 31e717b..997e927 100755
--- a/src/CodingTheory.jl
+++ b/src/CodingTheory.jl
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ include("utils.jl")
 
 # Abstract types
 export FinitePolynomial, AbstractCode, NonStaticAbstractWord, AbstractWord, Word,
-        Alphabet, Messages, CodeUniverse, CodeUniverseIterator, UniverseParameters
+        Codewords, Alphabet, Messages, CodeUniverse, CodeUniverseIterator,
+        UniverseParameters
 export no_round, getindex, setindex!, firstindex, lastindex, size, length, rand,
         gensym, genalphabet, eltype, isword, isabstractword
 
diff --git a/src/abstract_types.jl b/src/abstract_types.jl
index 8d1ae5f..828e79d 100644
--- a/src/abstract_types.jl
+++ b/src/abstract_types.jl
@@ -15,14 +15,15 @@ abstract type FiniteField end
 abstract type AbstractCode end
 
 """
-    NonStaticAbstractWord{N, T} = Union{NTuple{N, T}, AbstractVector{T}} where {N, T}
+    NonStaticAbstractWord{N, T} = Union{NTuple{N, T}, AbstractVector{T}, AbstractString} where {N, T}
 """
-NonStaticAbstractWord{N, T} = Union{NTuple{N, T}, AbstractVector{T}} where {N, T}
+NonStaticAbstractWord{N, T} = Union{NTuple{N, T}, AbstractVector{T}, AbstractString} where {N, T}
 
 """
     mutable struct Word{N, T}
     Word(w::NTuple{N, T})
     Word(w::AbstractVector{T})
+    Word(w::AbstractString)
     Word(i::T...)
 
 A Word is an `StaticArrays.MVector` which is efficient (like tuple) yet mutable.
@@ -33,6 +34,8 @@ mutable struct Word{N, T}
     Word(w::NTuple{N, T}) where {N, T} = new{N, T}(MVector{N, T}(w))
     Word(w::AbstractVector{T}) where {T} =
         (len = length(w); new{len, T}(MVector{len, T}(w)))
+    Word(w::AbstractString) =
+        MVector{length(w), eltype(w)}(collect(w))
     Word(i::T...) where {T} =
         (len = length(i); new{len, T}(MVector{len, T}(i)))
 end
@@ -57,6 +60,15 @@ isword(i...) = isword(i)
 isabstractword(w) = w isa AbstractWord
 isabstractword(i...) = isabstractword(i)
 
+"""
+    Codewords{N} <: AbstractCode
+
+Simply a wrapper type for a vector of abstract words of length `N`.
+"""
+Codewords{N} = Vector{AbstractWord{N, T}} where T
+# Codewords{N} = Vector{Word{N, T}} where T
+
+
 """
     struct Alphabet <: AbstractCode
         
@@ -177,9 +189,9 @@ struct CodeUniverseIterator <: AbstractCode
         return Iterators.product(Vector{eltype(Σ)}[Σ for _ in 1:𝒰.n]...)
     end
 
-    CodeUniverseIterator(Σ::Union{Alphabet, AbstractVector{T}}, q::Int, n::Int) where {T} =
+    CodeUniverseIterator(Σ::Union{Alphabet{N}, AbstractVector{T}}, q::Int, n::Int) where {N, T} =
         CodeUniverseIterator(UniverseParameters(Σ, q, n))
-    CodeUniverseIterator(Σ::Union{Alphabet, AbstractVector{T}}, n::Int) where {T} =
+    CodeUniverseIterator(Σ::Union{Alphabet{N}, AbstractVector{T}}, n::Int) where {N, T} =
         CodeUniverseIterator(UniverseParameters(Σ, n))
     CodeUniverseIterator(q::Int, n::Int) =
         CodeUniverseIterator(UniverseParameters(q, n))
@@ -195,12 +207,12 @@ Defines a structure for the messages in the code.  Parameters are the abstract a
 An inner constructor function on the structure `CodeUniverse`.
 """
 struct CodeUniverse <: AbstractCode
-    𝒰::AbstractVector{Word{M, T}} where {M, T}
+    𝒰::Codewords{M} where {M}
     Σ::Alphabet{N} where N
     q::Int # alphabet size
     n::Int # block length
     
-    function CodeUniverse(𝒰::AbstractVector{Word{N, T}}, Σ::Alphabet{N}) where {N, M, T}
+    function CodeUniverse(𝒰::Codewords{M}, Σ::Alphabet{N}) where {N, M}
         message_length_error = "We have fixed the block length of each message.  Please ensure all messages are of equal length."
         _allequal_length_(𝒰) || throw(error(message_length_error))
     
diff --git a/src/distance.jl b/src/distance.jl
index ecd5165..4afcd6a 100755
--- a/src/distance.jl
+++ b/src/distance.jl
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ Parameters:
 Returns:
   - Int: the number of changes needing to be made to one word for it to be identical to the other.
 """
-function hamming_distance(w₁::T, w₂::T) where T <: Union{String, Vector, NTuple}
+function hamming_distance(w₁::T, w₂::T) where T <: AbstractWord
     if ! isequal(length(w₁), length(w₂))
         throw(error("Cannot compute Hamming Distance on strings of unequal length."))
     end
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ function hamming_distance(w₁::T, w₂::T) where T <: Union{String, Vector, NTu
     return distance
 end
 
-function __hamming_space(relation::Function, Σⁿ::AbstractArray{T}, w::AbstractArray, e::Int) where T
+function __hamming_space(relation::Function, Σⁿ::AbstractArray{T}, w::AbstractArray, e::Int) where T <: AbstractWord
 	e < 0 && throw(error("e (the ball/sphere \"radius\") must be a non-negative number."))
 	Σⁿ, w = deepsym(Σⁿ), ensure_symbolic(w)
 	
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ Parameters:
 Returns:
   - AbstractArray: The list of words in Σⁿ whose distance from w is less than or equal to e.  Returns an array of array of symbols.
 """
-hamming_ball(Σⁿ::AbstractArray{T}, w::Vector{S}, e::Int) where {T, S} =
+hamming_ball(Σⁿ::AbstractArray{T}, w::Vector{S}, e::Int) where {T <: AbstractWord, S} =
 	__hamming_space(≤, Σⁿ, w, e)
 
 """
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ Parameters:
 Returns:
   - AbstractArray: The list of words in Σⁿ whose distance from w is exactly equal to e.  Returns an array of array of symbols.
 """
-hamming_sphere(Σⁿ::AbstractArray{T}, w::Vector{S}, e::Int) where {T, S} =
+hamming_sphere(Σⁿ::AbstractArray{T}, w::Vector{S}, e::Int) where {T <: AbstractWord, S} =
 	__hamming_space(isequal, Σⁿ, w, e)
 
 """
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ Parameters:
 Return:
   - Int: the distance of the code.
 """
-function code_distance(C::AbstractArray{T}) where T
+function code_distance(C::AbstractArray{T}) where T <: AbstractWord
 	isempty(C) && return nothing
 	C = deepsym(C)
 	min_distance = nothing
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ Parameters:
 Returns:
   - Int: The code distance after adding w to C.
 """
-function code_distance!(C::AbstractArray{T}, w::T) where T
+function code_distance!(C::AbstractArray{T}, w::T) where T <: AbstractWord
 	push!(C, w)
 	return code_distance(C)
 end
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ Parameters:
 Returns:
   - Int: The code distance after adding w to C.
 """
-function code_distance(C::AbstractArray{T}, w::T) where T
+function code_distance(C::AbstractArray{T}, w::T) where T <: AbstractWord
 	code_distance!(copy(C), w)
 end
 
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ Parameters:
 Returns:
   - Bool: Yes, C can detect t errors, or no it cannot (true of false).
 """
-function t_error_detecting(C::AbstractArray{T}, t::Int) where T <: AbstractArray{Int}
+function t_error_detecting(C::AbstractArray{T}, t::Int) where T <: Union{AbstractArray{Int}, AbstractWord}
 	code_distance(C) ≥ t + 1 && return true
 	return false
 end
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ Parameters:
 Returns:
   - Bool: Yes, C can correct t errors, or no it cannot (true of false).
 """
-function t_error_correcting(C::AbstractArray{T}, t::Int) where T <: AbstractArray{Int}
+function t_error_correcting(C::AbstractArray{T}, t::Int) where T <: Union{AbstractArray{Int}, AbstractWord}
 	code_distance(C) ≥ 2*t + 1 && return true
 	return false
 end
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ Parameters:
 Returns:
   - Int: The maximum number t such that the code is t error detecting.
 """
-function find_error_detection_max(C::AbstractArray{T}, modulo::Int) where T <: AbstractArray{Int}
+function find_error_detection_max(C::AbstractArray{T}, modulo::Int) where T <: Union{AbstractArray{Int}, AbstractWord}
 	for t in (modulo - 1):-1:0
 		t_error_detecting(C, t) && return t
 	end
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ Parameters:
 Returns:
   - Int: The maximum number t such that the code is t error correcting.
 """
-function find_error_correction_max(C::AbstractArray{T}, modulo::Int) where T <: AbstractArray{Int}
+function find_error_correction_max(C::AbstractArray{T}, modulo::Int) where T <: Union{AbstractArray{Int}, AbstractWord}
 	for t in modulo-1:-1:0
 		t_error_correcting(C, t) && return t
 	end