Here's why:
* Short Vowel Sound: The vowel "e" in "ten" makes a short "e" sound, like in "bed" or "pen".
* Long Vowel Sounds: Long vowel sounds are typically associated with vowels that are spelled with a single vowel letter followed by a consonant and then a silent "e" (like "hope" or "bike"), or with two vowels together (like "rain" or "meat").
Therefore, "ten" is a short vowel word.