pen – el bolígrafo

(Pronounced boh-lee-grah-foh)

To remember that pen is pronounced boh-lee-grah-foh (bolígrafo) in European Spanish, use the following mnemonic:

The pen caused the boat to leak so I grabbed the phone (bolígrafo) to call for help. 

Bolígrafo is masculine, so it's el bolígrafo. Imagine an elephant writing with a pen.