Here's why:
* Long e sound: The long e sound is typically represented by the letter "e" at the end of a word (like "cone" or "time") or by the combination "ee" (like "tree" or "sheep").
* Short e sound: The short e sound is represented by the letter "e" in a word with one syllable and is usually followed by a consonant (like "bed" or "ten").
Therefore, "bean" has a short e sound because it is a one-syllable word with the short e sound.