diff --git a/esphome/components/esp8266/core.cpp b/esphome/components/esp8266/core.cpp
index ed280274457..9161ca6aaf5 100644
--- a/esphome/components/esp8266/core.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/esp8266/core.cpp
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ void HOT delay(uint32_t ms) {
     optimistic_yield(1000);
   }
 }
-void IRAM_ATTR HOT delayMicroseconds(uint32_t us) { delay_microseconds_safe(us); }
+// delayMicroseconds(), arch_feed_wdt(), and progmem_read_*() are inlined in hal/hal_esp8266.h.
 void arch_restart() {
   system_restart();
   // restart() doesn't always end execution
@@ -93,17 +93,6 @@ void arch_restart() {
   }
 }
 void arch_init() {}
-void HOT arch_feed_wdt() { system_soft_wdt_feed(); }
-
-uint8_t progmem_read_byte(const uint8_t *addr) {
-  return pgm_read_byte(addr);  // NOLINT
-}
-const char *progmem_read_ptr(const char *const *addr) {
-  return reinterpret_cast<const char *>(pgm_read_ptr(addr));  // NOLINT
-}
-uint16_t progmem_read_uint16(const uint16_t *addr) {
-  return pgm_read_word(addr);  // NOLINT
-}
 uint32_t IRAM_ATTR HOT arch_get_cpu_cycle_count() { return esp_get_cycle_count(); }
 uint32_t arch_get_cpu_freq_hz() { return F_CPU; }
 
diff --git a/esphome/core/hal.h b/esphome/core/hal.h
index b8bdc783ab7..e20797cf95d 100644
--- a/esphome/core/hal.h
+++ b/esphome/core/hal.h
@@ -30,10 +30,14 @@
 
 namespace esphome {
 
+// ESP8266 inlines delayMicroseconds() and arch_feed_wdt() in hal/hal_esp8266.h;
+// every other platform keeps them out-of-line in components/<platform>/core.cpp.
+#ifndef USE_ESP8266
 void delayMicroseconds(uint32_t us);  // NOLINT(readability-identifier-naming)
+void arch_feed_wdt();
+#endif
 void __attribute__((noreturn)) arch_restart();
 void arch_init();
-void arch_feed_wdt();
 uint32_t arch_get_cpu_cycle_count();
 uint32_t arch_get_cpu_freq_hz();
 
diff --git a/esphome/core/hal/hal_esp8266.h b/esphome/core/hal/hal_esp8266.h
index b4476f1ab3b..d947612bcc7 100644
--- a/esphome/core/hal/hal_esp8266.h
+++ b/esphome/core/hal/hal_esp8266.h
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 #include <c_types.h>
 #include <cstdint>
+#include <pgmspace.h>
 
 #include "esphome/core/time_64.h"
 
@@ -19,8 +20,15 @@ extern "C" unsigned long micros(void);
 extern "C" unsigned long millis(void);
 // NOLINTEND(google-runtime-int,readability-identifier-naming,readability-redundant-declaration)
 
+// Forward decl from <user_interface.h> for arch_feed_wdt() inline below.
+extern "C" void system_soft_wdt_feed(void);
+
 namespace esphome {
 
+// Forward decl from helpers.h so this header stays cheap.
+// NOLINTNEXTLINE(readability-redundant-declaration)
+void delay_microseconds_safe(uint32_t us);
+
 /// Returns true when executing inside an interrupt handler.
 /// ESP8266 has no reliable single-register ISR detection: PS.INTLEVEL is
 /// non-zero both in a real ISR and when user code masks interrupts.  The
@@ -34,10 +42,22 @@ void delay(uint32_t ms);
 uint32_t millis();
 __attribute__((always_inline)) inline uint64_t millis_64() { return Millis64Impl::compute(millis()); }
 
-// ESP8266: pgm_read_* does real flash reads on Harvard architecture
-uint8_t progmem_read_byte(const uint8_t *addr);
-const char *progmem_read_ptr(const char *const *addr);
-uint16_t progmem_read_uint16(const uint16_t *addr);
+// ESP8266: pgm_read_* does aligned 32-bit flash reads on Harvard architecture.
+// Inline-forward to the platform macros so the wrappers themselves don't
+// occupy IRAM/flash on every call site.
+__attribute__((always_inline)) inline uint8_t progmem_read_byte(const uint8_t *addr) {
+  return pgm_read_byte(addr);  // NOLINT
+}
+__attribute__((always_inline)) inline const char *progmem_read_ptr(const char *const *addr) {
+  return reinterpret_cast<const char *>(pgm_read_ptr(addr));  // NOLINT
+}
+__attribute__((always_inline)) inline uint16_t progmem_read_uint16(const uint16_t *addr) {
+  return pgm_read_word(addr);  // NOLINT
+}
+
+// NOLINTNEXTLINE(readability-identifier-naming)
+__attribute__((always_inline)) inline void delayMicroseconds(uint32_t us) { delay_microseconds_safe(us); }
+__attribute__((always_inline)) inline void arch_feed_wdt() { system_soft_wdt_feed(); }
 
 }  // namespace esphome