AbstractSoft decision decoding is a decoding method which tries to improve the error‐correcting capability by utilizing the information concerning the reliability of the received symbol. One of the soft decision decoding methods for practically useful block code, is APP (a posteriori probability) decoding applicable to the majority‐logic de‐codable code. In APP decoding, the error is decided for each symbol as in majority‐logic decoding. This paper proposes a new decoding method (variable threshold APP decoding), in which the error‐correcting capability is improved by controlling the order of error decisions in APP decoding. the performance is evaluated by simulation. As a result, it is shown that the variable threshold APP decoding exhibits better characteristics than APP decoding and approximate APP decoding both in bit error rate and block error rate. When, for example, the proposed decoding is applied to (73, 45) difference set cyclic code, a coding gain of 1.0 dB is obtained compared with the approximate APP decoding. In the proposed decoding method, the time required for decoding is increased, while the hardware scale is almost the same as that of the approximate APP decoding.