What type of vowel sound is typically associated with a closed syllable?

Closed syllables are characterized by ending in a consonant and typically contain a short vowel sound. In a closed syllable, the presence of the final consonant "closes" the vowel in a way that makes it pronounced more briefly, leading to the short vowel sound as opposed to the long vowel sound that might appear in an open syllable (where the vowel is usually at the end and is not followed by a consonant).

For instance, in the word "cat," the syllable is closed by the consonant "t," and the vowel "a" is pronounced as a short vowel sound, as opposed to an open syllable like "cake," where the final "e" allows for the long vowel sound "a." Therefore, understanding the structure of closed syllables is crucial for recognizing that they typically produce short vowel sounds.