* Short Vowels: Short vowels in English have a short, clipped sound, like the "a" in "cat" or the "i" in "big".
* Long Vowels: Long vowels in English are typically represented by a vowel followed by a silent "e" at the end of the word (like "came") or by a vowel digraph (two vowels together, like "ea" in "meat").
In the word "camel," the "a" has a long vowel sound, similar to the "a" in "cake". Therefore, it's not considered a short vowel word.