diff --git a/drivers/spi/spi-imx.c b/drivers/spi/spi-imx.c
index 65a8303b80b1191cd2c19d61f88836e7fd3c7ae9..29b83659b8036d1cffe076012ad5cb229509abd8 100644
--- a/drivers/spi/spi-imx.c
+++ b/drivers/spi/spi-imx.c
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 // Copyright (C) 2008 Juergen Beisert
 
 #include <linux/bits.h>
+#include <linux/bitfield.h>
 #include <linux/clk.h>
 #include <linux/completion.h>
 #include <linux/delay.h>
@@ -13,7 +14,10 @@
 #include <linux/io.h>
 #include <linux/irq.h>
 #include <linux/kernel.h>
+#include <linux/math.h>
+#include <linux/math64.h>
 #include <linux/module.h>
+#include <linux/overflow.h>
 #include <linux/pinctrl/consumer.h>
 #include <linux/platform_device.h>
 #include <linux/pm_runtime.h>
@@ -302,6 +306,18 @@ static bool spi_imx_can_dma(struct spi_controller *controller, struct spi_device
 #define MX51_ECSPI_STAT		0x18
 #define MX51_ECSPI_STAT_RR		(1 <<  3)
 
+#define MX51_ECSPI_PERIOD	0x1c
+#define MX51_ECSPI_PERIOD_MASK		0x7fff
+/*
+ * As measured on the i.MX6, the SPI host controller inserts a 4 SPI-Clock
+ * (SCLK) delay after each burst if the PERIOD reg is 0x0. This value will be
+ * called MX51_ECSPI_PERIOD_MIN_DELAY_SCK.
+ *
+ * If the PERIOD register is != 0, the controller inserts a delay of
+ * MX51_ECSPI_PERIOD_MIN_DELAY_SCK + register value + 1 SCLK after each burst.
+ */
+#define MX51_ECSPI_PERIOD_MIN_DELAY_SCK 4
+
 #define MX51_ECSPI_TESTREG	0x20
 #define MX51_ECSPI_TESTREG_LBC	BIT(31)
 
@@ -653,6 +669,7 @@ static int mx51_ecspi_prepare_transfer(struct spi_imx_data *spi_imx,
 				       struct spi_device *spi, struct spi_transfer *t)
 {
 	u32 ctrl = readl(spi_imx->base + MX51_ECSPI_CTRL);
+	u64 word_delay_sck;
 	u32 clk;
 
 	/* Clear BL field and set the right value */
@@ -684,6 +701,49 @@ static int mx51_ecspi_prepare_transfer(struct spi_imx_data *spi_imx,
 
 	writel(ctrl, spi_imx->base + MX51_ECSPI_CTRL);
 
+	/* calculate word delay in SPI Clock (SCLK) cycles */
+	if (t->word_delay.value == 0) {
+		word_delay_sck = 0;
+	} else if (t->word_delay.unit == SPI_DELAY_UNIT_SCK) {
+		word_delay_sck = t->word_delay.value;
+
+		if (word_delay_sck <= MX51_ECSPI_PERIOD_MIN_DELAY_SCK)
+			word_delay_sck = 0;
+		else if (word_delay_sck <= MX51_ECSPI_PERIOD_MIN_DELAY_SCK + 1)
+			word_delay_sck = 1;
+		else
+			word_delay_sck -= MX51_ECSPI_PERIOD_MIN_DELAY_SCK + 1;
+	} else {
+		int word_delay_ns;
+
+		word_delay_ns = spi_delay_to_ns(&t->word_delay, t);
+		if (word_delay_ns < 0)
+			return word_delay_ns;
+
+		if (word_delay_ns <= mul_u64_u32_div(NSEC_PER_SEC,
+						     MX51_ECSPI_PERIOD_MIN_DELAY_SCK,
+						     spi_imx->spi_bus_clk)) {
+			word_delay_sck = 0;
+		} else if (word_delay_ns <= mul_u64_u32_div(NSEC_PER_SEC,
+							    MX51_ECSPI_PERIOD_MIN_DELAY_SCK + 1,
+							    spi_imx->spi_bus_clk)) {
+			word_delay_sck = 1;
+		} else {
+			word_delay_ns -= mul_u64_u32_div(NSEC_PER_SEC,
+							 MX51_ECSPI_PERIOD_MIN_DELAY_SCK + 1,
+							 spi_imx->spi_bus_clk);
+
+			word_delay_sck = DIV_U64_ROUND_UP((u64)word_delay_ns * spi_imx->spi_bus_clk,
+							  NSEC_PER_SEC);
+		}
+	}
+
+	if (!FIELD_FIT(MX51_ECSPI_PERIOD_MASK, word_delay_sck))
+		return -EINVAL;
+
+	writel(FIELD_PREP(MX51_ECSPI_PERIOD_MASK, word_delay_sck),
+	       spi_imx->base + MX51_ECSPI_PERIOD);
+
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -1264,11 +1324,13 @@ static int spi_imx_setupxfer(struct spi_device *spi,
 
 	/*
 	 * Initialize the functions for transfer. To transfer non byte-aligned
-	 * words, we have to use multiple word-size bursts, we can't use
-	 * dynamic_burst in that case.
+	 * words, we have to use multiple word-size bursts. To insert word
+	 * delay, the burst size has to equal the word size. We can't use
+	 * dynamic_burst in these cases.
 	 */
 	if (spi_imx->devtype_data->dynamic_burst && !spi_imx->target_mode &&
 	    !(spi->mode & SPI_CS_WORD) &&
+	    !(t->word_delay.value) &&
 	    (spi_imx->bits_per_word == 8 ||
 	    spi_imx->bits_per_word == 16 ||
 	    spi_imx->bits_per_word == 32)) {
@@ -1611,12 +1673,30 @@ static int spi_imx_pio_transfer_target(struct spi_device *spi,
 	return ret;
 }
 
+static unsigned int spi_imx_transfer_estimate_time_us(struct spi_transfer *transfer)
+{
+	u64 result;
+
+	result = DIV_U64_ROUND_CLOSEST((u64)USEC_PER_SEC * transfer->len * BITS_PER_BYTE,
+				       transfer->effective_speed_hz);
+	if (transfer->word_delay.value) {
+		unsigned int word_delay_us;
+		unsigned int words;
+
+		words = DIV_ROUND_UP(transfer->len * BITS_PER_BYTE, transfer->bits_per_word);
+		word_delay_us = DIV_ROUND_CLOSEST(spi_delay_to_ns(&transfer->word_delay, transfer),
+						  NSEC_PER_USEC);
+		result += words * word_delay_us;
+	}
+
+	return min(result, U32_MAX);
+}
+
 static int spi_imx_transfer_one(struct spi_controller *controller,
 				struct spi_device *spi,
 				struct spi_transfer *transfer)
 {
 	struct spi_imx_data *spi_imx = spi_controller_get_devdata(spi->controller);
-	unsigned long hz_per_byte, byte_limit;
 
 	spi_imx_setupxfer(spi, transfer);
 	transfer->effective_speed_hz = spi_imx->spi_bus_clk;
@@ -1635,15 +1715,10 @@ static int spi_imx_transfer_one(struct spi_controller *controller,
 	 */
 	if (spi_imx->usedma)
 		return spi_imx_dma_transfer(spi_imx, transfer);
-	/*
-	 * Calculate the estimated time in us the transfer runs. Find
-	 * the number of Hz per byte per polling limit.
-	 */
-	hz_per_byte = polling_limit_us ? ((8 + 4) * USEC_PER_SEC) / polling_limit_us : 0;
-	byte_limit = hz_per_byte ? transfer->effective_speed_hz / hz_per_byte : 1;
 
 	/* run in polling mode for short transfers */
-	if (transfer->len < byte_limit)
+	if (transfer->len == 1 || (polling_limit_us &&
+				   spi_imx_transfer_estimate_time_us(transfer) < polling_limit_us))
 		return spi_imx_poll_transfer(spi, transfer);
 
 	return spi_imx_pio_transfer(spi, transfer);
