pencil – el lápiz

(Pronounced lah-pees)

To remember that pencil is pronounced lah-pees (lápiz) in Latin American Spanish, use the following mnemonic:

Using a pencil, she sketched the last piece (lápiz) of cake. 

Lápiz is masculine, so it's el lápiz. Imagine an elephant using a pencil.

Examples of lápiz (pencil) in a sentence

Tengo un lápiz rojo en mi mochila.

(I have a red pencil in my backpack.)

¿Me puedes prestar tu lápiz?

(Can you lend me your pencil?)

El niño dibujó un árbol con su lápiz.

(The boy drew a tree with his pencil.)