A method of nucleic acid detection including (a) contacting a primed template with a polymerase, nucleotide cognate of a first base type and nucleotide cognate of a second base type under ternary complex stabilizing conditions; (b) contacting the primed template nucleic acid with a polymerase, nucleotide cognate of the first base type and nucleotide cognate of a third base type under ternary complex stabilizing conditions; (c) examining products of (a) and (b) for signals produced by a ternary complex that includes the primed template nucleic acid, polymerase and next correct nucleotide, wherein signals for the product of (a) are ambiguous for the first and second base type, and signals for the product of (b) are ambiguous for the first and third base type; (d) disambiguating signals acquired in (c) to identify the next correct nucleotide.