Does again have a short e sound?

No, "again" does not have a short e sound. It has a long a sound, like in the word "say".

Here's why:

* The "a" in "again" is followed by a consonant (g) and a silent "e" at the end. This is a common pattern in English where the "a" is pronounced long.

* The "i" is pronounced as a schwa sound (ə), which is a very short, unstressed sound.

Therefore, the correct pronunciation of "again" is uh-gayn.