Here's why:
* Spelling: The word "fall" has a single vowel letter "a" followed by a consonant "ll". This is a common pattern in English where a single vowel followed by a consonant often represents a long vowel sound.
* Pronunciation: We pronounce "fall" as /fɔːl/ (with the "a" sounding like the "a" in "father"). This is a long vowel sound.
Short vowel sounds are typically associated with words like "cat", "bed", "dog", where the vowel sound is short and clipped.