Here's why:
* Short vowel sounds are typically found in words where the vowel is followed by one consonant. For example, "cat", "dog", "run".
* Long vowel sounds can be found in words where the vowel is followed by a consonant and a silent "e", or in words where the vowel is followed by two consonants. "Load" follows the latter pattern: "load" has the vowel "o" followed by two consonants ("ad").
Therefore, the "o" in "load" makes a long vowel sound, similar to the sound in "boat" or "code".