Here's why:
* Long e sound: The long e sound is represented by the letter "e" when it is at the end of a word or followed by a consonant. Think of words like "see," "tree," and "me."
* Short e sound: In "bee," the "ee" combination makes a short e sound, similar to the "e" in "bed" or "pen."
So, while "bee" has the letter "e" in it, it doesn't represent the long e sound.