A method and apparatus relating to the recognition of free-form data input is disclosed. The method involves ordering writing strokes based upon spatial relationships between the strokes, and partitioning the strokes into segments. The segments are then ordered based upon spatial relationships between the segments, and the segments are analyzed to associate characters with the segments. The apparatus includes a capture interface, an ordering module, and a recognition module. The capture interface records the strokes, and the ordering module orders segments of the strokes based upon spatial relationships of the segments. The recognition module analyzes the segments and associates characters with the segments.