A memory string is disclosed including a plurality of core cells serially connected between a source select gate and a drain select gate along a channel. Each core cell includes a wordline separated from the channel by a stack of layers including a charge trapping layer. At least one of the source and drain select gates is a stacked select gate with a plurality of components, including a first component adjacent to the plurality of core cells and a second component separated from the core cells by the first component. The first component includes a wordline separated from the channel by a stack of layers including a charge trapping layer, and a distance between the wordline of the first component and the wordline of a first core cell in the plurality of core cells is substantially the same as distances between each wordline in the plurality of word core cells.