diff --git a/Lib/codecs.py b/Lib/codecs.py
index 04912a3244f..c138187dd2f 100644
--- a/Lib/codecs.py
+++ b/Lib/codecs.py
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ def decode(self, input, final=False):
 
     def reset(self):
         IncrementalDecoder.reset(self)
-        self.bytebuffer = ""
+        self.buffer = ""
 
 #
 # The StreamWriter and StreamReader class provide generic working