Error correction in network packets using soft information and modified payloads are disclosed herein. The method can include extracting soft information from copies of a network packet, using the extracted soft information to select K positions in a payload of the network packet, the payload with uncertain values of bits, the selected K positions having largest levels of uncertainty, changing one or more of the uncertain values at the K positions to a selected combination of values to transform the payload to a modified payload of the network packet, generating an error detection code for the modified payload and when the generated error detection code for the modified payload matches the error detection code for the network packet, using the modified payload as a corrected network packet and processing the next network packet.