Short a /æ/: cat, short e /ɛ/: bed, short i /ɪ/: sit, short o /ɑ/: top, short u /ʌ/: sun. The term short vowel is used to refer to the sounds that most often correspond to the letters 'a,' 'e,' 'i,' 'o,' and 'u' when the vowel occurs individually between consonants.