An improved method of code error correction is disclosed, for detection and correction of errors in data words or check words of a block of data after transmission-reception or recording-reproduction of the data. The method is of the type in which the data block is divided into three sets of sub-blocks, divided along three different array directions, with check words being assigned to each sub-block before transmission or recording based on specific computations (e.g. in accordance with Reed-Solomon code), and is characterized in that a stage of error detection processing applied to one specific set of sub-blocks invariably succeeds each stage of error correction processing applied to the other two sets of sub-blocks and in that three possible states of each error flag can result from correction processing, to respectively indicate a high probability, a low probability, or an intermediate degree of probability of errors being present in the corresponding word.