snake – la serpiente

(Pronounced sehr-pyehn-tay)

To remember that snake is pronounced sehr-pyehn-tay (serpiente) in Spanish, use the following mnemonic:

The snake was deadly, but she wasn't scared to confront the serpent, enter it's cage, and take (sepiente) it for a walk. 

Serpiente is feminine, so it's la serpiente. Imagine a lady with her pet snake.