Embodiments of an iterative decoder with early-exit condition detection and methods for decoding are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. In some embodiments, a first codeword is generated from decoded bits after one or more half-iterations of an iterative decoder, a second codeword from decoded bits after an additional half-iteration of the iterative decoder, and the first and second codewords are compared to determine whether the decoded bits are valid. In some embodiments, double or triple codeword matching is selected based on an estimated signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the modulation level.