diff --git a/src/array.jl b/src/array.jl
index f5b06381..57eb781c 100644
--- a/src/array.jl
+++ b/src/array.jl
@@ -419,10 +419,24 @@ end
 ## interop with GPU arrays
 
 function Base.unsafe_convert(::Type{oneDeviceArray{T,N,AS.CrossWorkgroup}}, a::oneArray{T,N}) where {T,N}
-  oneDeviceArray{T,N,AS.CrossWorkgroup}(size(a), reinterpret(LLVMPtr{T,AS.CrossWorkgroup}, pointer(a)),
+  ptr = pointer(a)
+  check_alignment(a, ptr)
+  oneDeviceArray{T,N,AS.CrossWorkgroup}(size(a), reinterpret(LLVMPtr{T,AS.CrossWorkgroup}, ptr),
                                 a.maxsize - a.offset)
 end
 
+# a `oneArray` can point at memory that is not aligned for its element type, e.g., after
+# `reinterpret` of a view. that is fine for copies, but element accesses in kernels assume
+# the alignment of the element type (see `alignment`).
+function check_alignment(a::oneArray{T}, ptr) where {T}
+  align = alignment(T)
+  if UInt(ptr) % align != 0 && !isempty(a)
+    alignment_error(T, ptr, align)
+  end
+end
+@noinline alignment_error(T, ptr, align) =
+  throw(ArgumentError("cannot use a $T array at $ptr in a kernel, which requires $align-byte alignment. Such arrays result from `reinterpret`ing a view that doesn't start at a multiple of the alignment; use `copy` to get an aligned array."))
+
 
 ## memory copying
 
diff --git a/src/compiler/execution.jl b/src/compiler/execution.jl
index 50bb77c0..f39bd4b7 100644
--- a/src/compiler/execution.jl
+++ b/src/compiler/execution.jl
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ Adapt.adapt_storage(to::KernelAdaptor, p::ZePtr{T}) where {T} =
 # convert oneAPI host arrays to device arrays
 function Adapt.adapt_storage(to::KernelAdaptor, xs::oneArray{T,N}) where {T,N}
   to.refs === nothing || push!(to.refs, xs.data)
+  check_alignment(xs, device_pointer(xs))
   ptr = reinterpret(LLVMPtr{T,AS.CrossWorkgroup}, device_pointer(xs))
   oneDeviceArray{T,N,AS.CrossWorkgroup}(size(xs), ptr, xs.maxsize - xs.offset)
 end
diff --git a/src/device/array.jl b/src/device/array.jl
index b948da7e..5d6d4afa 100644
--- a/src/device/array.jl
+++ b/src/device/array.jl
@@ -105,11 +105,10 @@ Base.unsafe_convert(::Type{LLVMPtr{T,A}}, x::oneDeviceArray{T,<:Any,A}) where {T
 
 ## indexing intrinsics
 
-# TODO: how are allocations aligned by the level zero API? keep track of this
-#       because it enables optimizations like Load Store Vectorization
-#       (cfr. shared memory and its wider-than-datatype alignment)
-
-@generated function alignment(::oneDeviceArray{T}) where {T}
+# the alignment that accesses to elements of type `T` assume. pointers that do not come from
+# an allocation (`reinterpret` of a view) are checked when converting to a device array, see
+# `check_alignment`.
+@generated function alignment(::Type{T}) where {T}
     if Base.isbitsunion(T)
         _, sz, al = Base.uniontype_layout(T)
         al
@@ -117,6 +116,7 @@ Base.unsafe_convert(::Type{LLVMPtr{T,A}}, x::oneDeviceArray{T,<:Any,A}) where {T
         Base.datatype_alignment(T)
     end
 end
+alignment(::oneDeviceArray{T}) where {T} = alignment(T)
 
 @device_function @inline function arrayref(A::oneDeviceArray{T}, index::Integer) where {T}
     # simplified bounds check to avoid the OneTo construction, which calls `max`
@@ -287,9 +287,15 @@ Base.show(io::IO, mime::MIME"text/plain", a::oneDeviceArray) = show(io, a)
 end
 
 function Base.reinterpret(::Type{T}, a::oneDeviceArray{S,N,A}) where {T,S,N,A}
-  err = _reinterpret_exception(T, a)
+  err = GPUArrays._reinterpret_exception(T, a)
   err === nothing || throw(err)
 
+  # `T` may require a stronger alignment than `a` was checked for. this is not a bounds
+  # check: the alignment that element accesses assume depends on it.
+  if alignment(T) > alignment(S) && !isempty(a) && UInt(a.ptr) % alignment(T) != 0
+    @gputhrow "ArgumentError" "cannot reinterpret an array whose pointer is not aligned for the new element type"
+  end
+
   if sizeof(T) == sizeof(S) # fast case
     return oneDeviceArray{T,N,A}(size(a), reinterpret(LLVMPtr{T,A}, a.ptr), a.maxsize)
   end
diff --git a/test/array.jl b/test/array.jl
index b4c9aaa2..4db812dc 100644
--- a/test/array.jl
+++ b/test/array.jl
@@ -119,6 +119,15 @@ end
   v = view(a, 2:7)  # offset of 1 Int32 = 4 bytes
   r = reinterpret(Int64, v)  # Int64 = 8 bytes; 4 is not a multiple of 8
   @test Array(r) == reinterpret(Int64, @view Array(a)[2:7])
+
+  # kernels require aligned elements
+  @test_throws ArgumentError r .+ 1
+  @test Array(copy(r) .+ 1) == reinterpret(Int64, @view Array(a)[2:7]) .+ 1
+  @test_throws ArgumentError Base.unsafe_convert(oneDeviceVector{Int64,oneAPI.AS.CrossWorkgroup}, r)
+  # empty arrays have no elements to access
+  e = reinterpret(Int64, view(a, 2:1))
+  @test isempty(oneAPI.kernel_convert(e))
+  @test isempty(Base.unsafe_convert(oneDeviceVector{Int64,oneAPI.AS.CrossWorkgroup}, e))
 end
 
 @testset "aliasing" begin
diff --git a/test/execution.jl b/test/execution.jl
index a61be703..af6b627b 100644
--- a/test/execution.jl
+++ b/test/execution.jl
@@ -1648,3 +1648,26 @@ end
         @test Array(out) == fill(a[1], n)
     end
 end
+
+@testset "device-side reinterpret to a stronger alignment" begin
+    function kernel(y, a, offset)
+        ptr = reinterpret(Core.LLVMPtr{Int32,AS.CrossWorkgroup}, pointer(a)) + offset
+        x = oneDeviceArray{Int32,1,AS.CrossWorkgroup}((2,), ptr)
+        b = reinterpret(Int64, x)
+        @inbounds y[1] = b[1]
+        return
+    end
+    a = oneArray([1, 2])
+    y = oneAPI.zeros(Int, 1)
+    @oneapi kernel(y, a, 8)
+    @test kernel_exception() === nothing
+    @test Array(y)[] == 2
+    # the work-item that throws exits without storing
+    y = oneAPI.zeros(Int, 1)
+    @oneapi debug_level=1 kernel(y, a, 4)
+    err = kernel_exception()
+    @test err isa KernelException
+    @test err.name == "ArgumentError"
+    @test occursin("not aligned", err.reason)
+    @test Array(y)[] == 0
+end