Here's why:
* Short vowel sound: The vowel "i" in "hive" has a short vowel sound, similar to the "i" in "hit" or "pin".
* Long vowel sound: Long vowel sounds are typically represented by a vowel followed by a silent "e" at the end of a word (like "bike", "hope", "cute").
Therefore, "hive" has a short vowel sound, making it a short vowel word.