1. A method for recognizing characters, comprising: receiving touch-based input relating to a sequence of strokes at a touch-based interface of a computing device, wherein a first subset of the sequence of strokes corresponds to a first area of the touch-based interface and a second subset of the sequence of strokes corresponds to a second area of the touch-based interface that at least partially overlaps the first area; displaying a graphical representation of the first subset of the sequence of strokes on an output device coupled to the computing device; determining a confidence level that a first character approximately matches the first subset of the sequence of strokes, wherein the confidence level is of at least a first confidence threshold; altering the display of the graphical representation of the first subset of the sequence of strokes based on the confidence level; and providing the first character for processing by an application executing on the computing device when the confidence level is of at least a second confidence threshold, wherein the application is designed to process characters from touch-based input.