diff --git a/basis/compiler/cfg/ssa/destruction/coalescing/coalescing-docs.factor b/basis/compiler/cfg/ssa/destruction/coalescing/coalescing-docs.factor
index b082cae82a..8c53329558 100644
--- a/basis/compiler/cfg/ssa/destruction/coalescing/coalescing-docs.factor
+++ b/basis/compiler/cfg/ssa/destruction/coalescing/coalescing-docs.factor
@@ -14,14 +14,23 @@ HELP: coalesce-elements
 { $values { "merged" "??" } { "follower" "vreg" } { "leader" "vreg" } }
 { $description "Delete follower's class, and set leaders's class to merged." } ;
 
-HELP: coalesce-insn
+HELP: coalesce-now
 { $values { "insn" insn } }
-{ $description "Generic word supposed to be called in a " { $link make } " context which generates a list of eliminatable vreg copies. The word either eliminates copies immediately in case of " { $link ##phi } " and " { $link ##tagged>integer } " instructions or appends copies to the make sequence so that they are handled later by " { $link coalesce-cfg } "." } ;
+{ $description "Generic word which finds copy pairs in instructions and tries to eliminate them directly." }
+{ $see-also coalesce-later } ;
+
+HELP: coalesce-later
+{ $values { "insn" insn } }
+{ $description "Generic word supposed to be called in a " { $link make } " context which generates a list of eliminatable vreg copies. The copies are batched up and then eliminated by " { $link try-eliminate-copies } "." } ;
 
 HELP: coalesce-vregs
 { $values { "merged" "??" } { "follower" "vreg" } { "leader" "vreg" } }
 { $description "Sets 'leader' as the leader of 'follower'." } ;
 
+HELP: eliminatable-copy?
+{ $values { "vreg1" "vreg" } { "vreg2" "vreg" } }
+{ $description "Determines if a vreg copy can be eliminated. It can be eliminated if the vregs have the same register class and same representation size." } ;
+
 HELP: try-eliminate-copy
 { $values { "follower" "vreg" } { "leader" "vreg" } { "must?" boolean } }
 { $description "Tries to eliminate a vreg copy from 'leader' to 'follower'. If 'must?' is " { $link t } " then a " { $link vregs-shouldn't-interfere } " error is thrown if the vregs interfere." }
@@ -33,7 +42,7 @@ HELP: try-eliminate-copies
 { $see-also try-eliminate-copy } ;
 
 ARTICLE: "compiler.cfg.ssa.destruction.coalescing" "Vreg Coalescing"
-"This compiler pass eliminates redundant vreg copies."
+"This compiler pass eliminates redundant vreg copies. Coalescing occurs in two steps. First all redundant copies in all " { $link ##tagged>integer } " and " { $link ##phi } " instructions are handled. Then those in other instructions like " { $link vreg-insn } ", " { $link ##copy } " and " { $link ##parallel-copy } "."
 $nl
 "Main entry point:"
 { $subsections coalesce-cfg }
diff --git a/basis/compiler/cfg/ssa/destruction/coalescing/coalescing-tests.factor b/basis/compiler/cfg/ssa/destruction/coalescing/coalescing-tests.factor
index 309cda82c1..3af6d7d85a 100644
--- a/basis/compiler/cfg/ssa/destruction/coalescing/coalescing-tests.factor
+++ b/basis/compiler/cfg/ssa/destruction/coalescing/coalescing-tests.factor
@@ -50,15 +50,15 @@ IN: compiler.cfg.ssa.destruction.coalescing.tests
            { size 24 }
            { temp 303 }
         }
-    } insns>cfg initial-leaders
+    } initial-leaders
 ] unit-test
 
 ! init-coalescing
 {
     H{ { 118 118 } }
 } [
-    { T{ ##phi { dst 118 } { inputs H{ { 4 120 } { 2 119 } } } } } insns>cfg
-    dup compute-defs init-coalescing
+    { T{ ##phi { dst 118 } { inputs H{ { 4 120 } { 2 119 } } } } }
+    [ insns>cfg compute-defs ] [ init-coalescing ] bi
     leader-map get
 ] unit-test
 
@@ -67,16 +67,16 @@ IN: compiler.cfg.ssa.destruction.coalescing.tests
     10 10 f try-eliminate-copy
 ] unit-test
 
-! coalesce-insn
+! coalesce-later
 { V{ { 2 1 } } } [
     [
-        T{ ##copy { src 1 } { dst 2 } { rep int-rep } } coalesce-insn
+        T{ ##copy { src 1 } { dst 2 } { rep int-rep } } coalesce-later
     ] V{ } make
 ] unit-test
 
 { V{ { 3 4 } { 7 8 } } } [
     [
-        T{ ##parallel-copy { values V{ { 3 4 } { 7 8 } } } } coalesce-insn
+        T{ ##parallel-copy { values V{ { 3 4 } { 7 8 } } } } coalesce-later
     ] V{ } make
 ] unit-test
 
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ IN: compiler.cfg.ssa.destruction.coalescing.tests
     10 [
         { 2286 2287 2288 } sets:unique leader-map set
         2286 make-phi-inputs ##phi new-insn
-        coalesce-insn
+        coalesce-now
         2286 leader
     ] replicate all-equal?
 ] unit-test
diff --git a/basis/compiler/cfg/ssa/destruction/coalescing/coalescing.factor b/basis/compiler/cfg/ssa/destruction/coalescing/coalescing.factor
index 90e0049f93..f8ec363c21 100644
--- a/basis/compiler/cfg/ssa/destruction/coalescing/coalescing.factor
+++ b/basis/compiler/cfg/ssa/destruction/coalescing/coalescing.factor
@@ -35,44 +35,46 @@ ERROR: vregs-shouldn't-interfere vreg1 vreg2 ;
 : try-eliminate-copies ( pairs must? -- )
     '[ first2 _ try-eliminate-copy ] each ;
 
-GENERIC: coalesce-insn ( insn -- )
-
-M: insn coalesce-insn drop ;
-
-M: alien-call-insn coalesce-insn drop ;
-
-M: vreg-insn coalesce-insn
-    [ defs-vregs ] [ uses-vregs ] bi
-    2dup [ empty? not ] both? [
-        [ first ] bi@
-        2dup [ rep-of reg-class-of ] bi@ eq?
-        [ 2array , ] [ 2drop ] if
-    ] [ 2drop ] if ;
-
-M: ##copy coalesce-insn
-    [ dst>> ] [ src>> ] bi 2array , ;
-
-M: ##parallel-copy coalesce-insn
-    values>> % ;
-
-M: ##tagged>integer coalesce-insn
-    [ dst>> ] [ src>> ] bi t try-eliminate-copy ;
-
-M: ##phi coalesce-insn
-    [ dst>> ] [ inputs>> values ] bi zip-scalar
-    natural-sort t try-eliminate-copies ;
-
-: initial-leaders ( cfg -- leaders )
-    cfg>insns [ [ defs-vregs ] [ temp-vregs ] bi append ] map concat unique ;
+: initial-leaders ( insns -- leaders )
+    [ [ defs-vregs ] [ temp-vregs ] bi append ] map concat unique ;
 
 : initial-class-elements ( -- class-elements )
     defs get [ [ dup dup value-of ] dip <vreg-info> 1array ] assoc-map ;
 
-: init-coalescing ( cfg -- )
+: init-coalescing ( insns -- )
     initial-leaders leader-map set
     initial-class-elements class-element-map set ;
 
+GENERIC: coalesce-now ( insn -- )
+
+M: insn coalesce-now drop ;
+
+M: ##tagged>integer coalesce-now
+    [ dst>> ] [ src>> ] bi t try-eliminate-copy ;
+
+M: ##phi coalesce-now
+    [ dst>> ] [ inputs>> values ] bi zip-scalar
+    natural-sort t try-eliminate-copies ;
+
+GENERIC: coalesce-later ( insn -- )
+
+M: insn coalesce-later drop ;
+
+M: alien-call-insn coalesce-later drop ;
+
+M: vreg-insn coalesce-later
+    [ defs-vregs ] [ uses-vregs ] bi zip ?first [ , ] when* ;
+
+M: ##copy coalesce-later
+    [ dst>> ] [ src>> ] bi 2array , ;
+
+M: ##parallel-copy coalesce-later
+    values>> % ;
+
+: eliminatable-copy? ( vreg1 vreg2 -- ? )
+    [ rep-of ] bi@ [ [ reg-class-of ] same? ] [ [ rep-size ] same? ] 2bi and ;
+
 : coalesce-cfg ( cfg -- )
-    dup init-coalescing
-    cfg>insns-rpo [ [ coalesce-insn ] each ] V{ } make
-    f try-eliminate-copies ;
+    cfg>insns-rpo dup init-coalescing
+    [ [ [ coalesce-now ] [ coalesce-later ] bi ] each ] { } make
+    [ first2 eliminatable-copy? ] filter f try-eliminate-copies ;