A memory includes a plurality of flash cells and circuitry for programming a first cell to store first data and one or more second cells to store second data. Either the circuitry itself, or a controller of he memory, or a host of the memory by executing driver code, causes the programming of the first cell to be in accordance with the second data, with at least a portion of the programming of the first cell being effected before any of the programming of the second cell(s).