A method and apparatus for generating multiple selectable contexts is described. In one embodiment, the method comprises generating two contexts, one of the two contexts for when the current bit being decoded is a zero bit and the other of the two context for when the current bit being decoded is a one bit indicating that a coefficient has become significant, selecting one of the two context to use to decode a bit subsequent to the current bit, wherein selecting the one context is based on the current bit once decoded, and decoding the bit subsequent to the current bit using the one context.