* Whale: The vowel sound in "whale" is a long "a" sound, like the "a" in "say".
* Hand: The vowel sound in "hand" is a short "a" sound, like the "a" in "cat".
Here's a quick way to remember:
* Long vowels often have a silent "e" at the end of a word.
* Short vowels usually have a consonant after them.