How are even and odd addressed bytes accessed in 8086 memory address space?

In the 8086 microprocessor, memory is organized into segments and can be accessed in bytes or Words. Even-addressed bytes are accessed directly using their address, while odd-addressed bytes are accessed through a combination of the even address and a specific instruction. For example, to access an odd byte, the CPU reads the Word containing that byte, performing a mask operation to isolate the desired odd byte. Since the 8086 is a 16-bit architecture, it can handle both even and odd addresses efficiently, ensuring proper alignment for data retrieval.