The claimed subject matter provides systems and/or methods that facilitate programming and reading multi-level, multi-bit memory cells in a memory device. In multi-bit memory cells, programming one element can affect the second element. Certain combinations of elements can cause excessive levels of complementary bit disturb, state dependent non-uniform charge loss, and state dependent program disturb, reducing memory device reliability. Such effects may be pronounced where a high charge level is programmed into a first element while a second element of the same memory cell is unprogrammed. Memory cell elements can be programmed using additional charge levels to mitigate such effects. For example, the sixteen distinct element combinations possible using four charge levels can be mapped to a subset of twenty-five possible element combinations using five charge levels, avoiding element combinations likely to generate excessive complementary bit disturb, state dependent non-uniform charge loss, and state dependent program disturb.