diff --git a/src/interned_string.cc b/src/interned_string.cc
index 2f2f56f8..5395cf02 100644
--- a/src/interned_string.cc
+++ b/src/interned_string.cc
@@ -13,16 +13,16 @@ InternedString StringRegistry::acquire(StringView str)
         {
             slot = m_free_slots.back();
             m_free_slots.pop_back();
-            kak_assert(m_storage[slot].second == 0);
-            m_storage[slot] = DataAndRefCount({str.begin(), str.end()}, 1);
+            kak_assert(m_storage[slot].refcount == 0);
+            m_storage[slot] = DataAndRefCount{{str.begin(), str.end()}, 1};
         }
         else
         {
             slot = m_storage.size();
-            m_storage.push_back(DataAndRefCount({str.begin(), str.end()}, 1));
+            m_storage.push_back({{str.begin(), str.end()}, 1});
         }
         // Create a new string view that point to the storage data
-        StringView storage_view{m_storage[slot].first.data(), (int)m_storage[slot].first.size()};
+        StringView storage_view{m_storage[slot].data.data(), (int)m_storage[slot].data.size()};
         m_slot_map[storage_view] = slot;
 
         return InternedString{storage_view, slot};
@@ -30,24 +30,24 @@ InternedString StringRegistry::acquire(StringView str)
 
     size_t slot = it->second;
     auto& data = m_storage[slot];
-    ++data.second;
-    return {{data.first.data(), (int)data.first.size()}, slot};
+    ++data.refcount;
+    return {{data.data.data(), (int)data.data.size()}, slot};
 }
 
 void StringRegistry::acquire(size_t slot)
 {
     kak_assert(slot < m_storage.size());
-    kak_assert(m_storage[slot].second > 0);
-    ++m_storage[slot].second;
+    kak_assert(m_storage[slot].refcount > 0);
+    ++m_storage[slot].refcount;
 }
 
 void StringRegistry::release(size_t slot) noexcept
 {
-    kak_assert(m_storage[slot].second > 0);
-    if (--m_storage[slot].second == 0)
+    kak_assert(m_storage[slot].refcount > 0);
+    if (--m_storage[slot].refcount == 0)
     {
         m_free_slots.push_back(slot);
-        std::vector<char>& data = m_storage[slot].first;
+        std::vector<char>& data = m_storage[slot].data;
         auto it = m_slot_map.find(StringView{data.data(), (int)data.size()});
         kak_assert(it != m_slot_map.end());
         m_slot_map.erase(it);
diff --git a/src/interned_string.hh b/src/interned_string.hh
index 4afdb157..b96bbfea 100644
--- a/src/interned_string.hh
+++ b/src/interned_string.hh
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ private:
 
     UnorderedMap<StringView, size_t> m_slot_map;
     std::vector<size_t> m_free_slots;
-    using DataAndRefCount = std::pair<std::vector<char>, int>;
+    struct DataAndRefCount { std::vector<char> data; int refcount; };
     std::vector<DataAndRefCount> m_storage;
 };