A digital communication system (20) communicates using a polar amplitude phase shift keyed (P-APSK) phase point constellation (70, 70'). Pragmatic encoding and puncturing is accommodated. The pragmatic encoding uses the P-APSK constellation (70, 70') to simultaneously communicate both encoded and uncoded information bits. The P-APSK constellation (70, 70') has an even number of phase point rings (74, 76) and equal numbers of phase points (72) in pairs of the rings (74, 76). Encoded bits specify secondary modulation and uncoded bits specify primary modulation. The constellation (70, 70') is configured so that secondary modulation sub-constellations (78) include four phase points (72) arranged so that two of the four phase points (72) exhibit two phase angles at one magnitude and the other two of the four phase points exhibit phase angles that are at another magnitude. The difference between the phase angles at different magnitudes within a secondary sub-constellation (78) is constant.