Abstract: A method for selecting a symbol using an M-key keyboard in a personal information device (PID) divides the M keys into a first key group and a second key group. Each symbol to be recognized from the input key-strokes on the keyboard is assigned a unique two-keystroke sequence in which the first key and the second key of that two-keystroke sequence are selected from different key groups. When receiving keystrokes from the keyboard, two-keystroke sequences received from the keyboard are matched to the symbol assignments to derive which symbol is selected. This method is applicable not only for selecting letters from a European alphabet, such as the English or the Cyrillic alphabets, this method is applicable to selecting from a phonetic alphabet, such as the Pin-Yin system for Chinese characters and other phonetic systems in the Korean and Japanese languages as well.