In a method for position decoding, a position is calculated on the basis of information determined from a partial area, imaged by a sensor, of a position-coding pattern. If the position calculation fails, the information from the partial area recorded by the sensor is matched with information about how the position-coding pattern is designed in a plurality of matching partial areas, which each define a position in the position-coding pattern. The position of the positions defined by the matching partial areas, which according to the matching step is the most probable position in the position-coding pattern for the imaged partial area is accepted as the decoded position.A device and a computer program for carrying out the method are also described.