(oartalk)

Any single key or key combination depressed on the stenotype machine at one time is referred to as a stroke. Each stroke makes an inked imprint on a paper tape and/or is stored in the computer or computer input device. KAT, the stenotypic representation of the word "cat" explained previously, is a stroke because all letters are depressed at the same time. As strokes are written, automatic spacing occurs between them, allowing for faster writing.