11. A computer-readable memory device storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for translating user input into at least one word having multiple characters, the operations comprising: displaying a set of characters on a display, wherein each character has a relative position with respect to every other character on the display; receiving an indication of a starting position; receiving a sequence of two or more user inputs via an input device, wherein the input device is configured to receive indications of a direction; creating a pattern of relative directions by: determining a relative direction between the starting position and the first user input; and determining an ordered set of subsequent relative directions corresponding to each of the two or more user inputs after the first user input; and matching the pattern of relative directions to one or more stored words, wherein the stored words contain an indication of a first position and a set of subsequent relative positions of each letter in the word, each of the subsequent relative positions relative to the position, on the display, of the previous letter, and wherein the matching is performed by: determining that the indication of the first position, for each of the matching stored words, corresponds to the starting position; and determining that the set of subsequent relative positions of each letter in the word, for each of the matching stored words, at least partially matches the ordered set of subsequent relative directions; wherein determining that the set of subsequent relative positions of each letter in the word, for each of the matching stored words, at least partially matches the ordered set of subsequent relative directions is performed without regard to the absolute positions of the characters on the display.
11. A computer-readable memory device storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for translating user input into at least one word having multiple characters, the operations comprising: displaying a set of characters on a display, wherein each character has a relative position with respect to every other character on the display; receiving an indication of a starting position; receiving a sequence of two or more user inputs via an input device, wherein the input device is configured to receive indications of a direction; creating a pattern of relative directions by: determining a relative direction between the starting position and the first user input; and determining an ordered set of subsequent relative directions corresponding to each of the two or more user inputs after the first user input; and matching the pattern of relative directions to one or more stored words, wherein the stored words contain an indication of a first position and a set of subsequent relative positions of each letter in the word, each of the subsequent relative positions relative to the position, on the display, of the previous letter, and wherein the matching is performed by: determining that the indication of the first position, for each of the matching stored words, corresponds to the starting position; and determining that the set of subsequent relative positions of each letter in the word, for each of the matching stored words, at least partially matches the ordered set of subsequent relative directions; wherein determining that the set of subsequent relative positions of each letter in the word, for each of the matching stored words, at least partially matches the ordered set of subsequent relative directions is performed without regard to the absolute positions of the characters on the display. 12. The computer-readable memory device of claim 11 , wherein the matching pattern of relative directions corresponds to a first portion of the matching stored words, and the operations further comprise displaying the matching words, wherein at least one of the matching words comprises a second portion, the second portion comprising additional characters.