Here's why:
* Short Vowel Sound: The vowel sound in "rat" is a short "a" sound, as in "cat" or "hat".
* Long Vowel Sound: Long vowel sounds are typically represented by a vowel followed by a silent "e" at the end of a word (like "rate") or by a vowel followed by a consonant and then a silent "e" (like "rate").
Let me know if you have any other words you'd like to analyze!