1. A computer-implemented method for recognizing handwritten words at an electronic device, said method comprising: receiving a plurality of strokes at a common input region of said electronic device, wherein said plurality of strokes in combination defines a word comprising a plurality of symbols, wherein a relative geometry of a first subset of said plurality of strokes defines a first symbol and a relative geometry of a second subset of said plurality of strokes defines a second symbol such that said relative geometry of said first subset of said plurality of strokes is not related to said relative geometry of said second subset of said plurality of strokes, and wherein at least one stroke of said first subset of said plurality of strokes is spatially superimposed over at least one stroke of said second subset of said plurality of strokes; and determining said word using a processor of said electronic device based on said plurality of strokes without requiring recognition of said plurality of symbols, wherein a word is determined based at least in part on an entry sequence of subsets of said plurality of strokes.