bored, board

Bored or bored is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "bore", meaning to make a hole in, with a drill, awl, or some other tool--
He bored a hole at the end of the shelf, for a coat hook.
The termites have bored through the beams in the cellar.

Bored or bored also means suffering from "boredom", meaning a lack of interest in anything, or nothing interesting to do--
If you are bored, why don't you go outside and play?
The children are bored, and it's raining. Let's watch a movie.
Bored may also be the past tense of "bore", meaning to be dull and tedious--
The class bored them, especially when they didn't understand what was going on.
He bored them again with his football stories.

Board or board ( rhymes with board ) means a plank of wood--
We need a board about six feet long.
This board will make a nice shelf.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She bored some holes in the board, for hooks to hang the coffee cups."
"We got bored with holding the board as he bored a hole in it, so we left."

dolman, dolmen

Dolman or dolman means a kind of sleeve, on a shirt, jacket, or dress, that is attached at or near the waist, and fitted at the wrist, to make sleeves something like a cape--
Dolman sleeves are sometimes called batwing sleeves.
The dolman sleeves on that dress make her look short.

Dolmen or dolmen ( rhymes with dolman ) means a kind of burial mound or tomb marker, made of a large stone set on top of two upright stones, making a shape like the Greek letter π--
A dolmen is usually made of three large stones.
A dolmen may also be called a cromlech.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She got her big dolman sleeve stuck on the edge of the dolmen, and we had to cut it to get her loose."

carpal, carpel

Carpal or carpal means having to do with the carpus--the  wrist bone or wrist bones--
He had to quit his job when he developed carpal tunnel syndrome.
The carpal bones may be injured by stressful repetitive motion.

Carpel or carpel ( rhymes with carpal ) means a type of pistil, or seed-bearing flower part--
You can see that this is actually a carpel, and not a leaf, because it bears the seeds of the flower.
The stigma, style, and ovary make up the carpel.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"His drawing of a flower's carpel looks more like the carpal  bones of a person."

staid, stayed

Staid or staid  ( rhymes with stayed, sometimes pronounced more like "sted" ) describes a solid, steady, or reliable character--
He has always been too staid to do anything so capricious.
He thought she was staid and boring; she thought he was flighty and irresponsible.

Stayed or stayed ( rhymes with staid ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of the verb ( action word )  "stay", meaning to remain or continue--
He stayed at work until after 7 o'clock.
We stayed dry under the umbrella.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He stayed with the same firm for many years, which proves him to be staid and dependable."

Note--not to be confused with "stead" (pronounced sted ), meaning the place taken by a substitute--
He sent an employee in his stead, authorized to close the deal.
"Stead" is also an old-fashioned word for repute, surviving in the phrase "stand in good stead"--
If you take this course, you will stand in good stead with a prospective employer.
"Instead" ( one word ) means as an alternative or substitute--
Let's have pizza instead of burgers.

carrel, carol

Carrel or carrel means a cubby or cubicle, usually with a desk, for studying or reading--
Only one student to a carrel, please.
He sits in the same carrel and studies, every afternoon.

Carol or carol ( rhymes with carrel ) means a song, usually of joy or celebration--
Our choir is learning a new Christmas carol.
No one remembers the tune to this old carol. Do you know it?

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He is in the carrel at the end of the row, trying to learn the words of a medieval carol."

Note--"Carol" or "Carole" may also be a female's given name--
Is Carol going to be in this morning?

lived, livid

Lived or lived is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "live", meaning to exist, to dwell, or to survive--
He lived in the United States in the  19th century.
They lived on the other side of town before they moved here.
He lived through the war, and came home to start a business.

Livid or livid means pale or blue, as from bruising or lack of breath, caused by disease, injury, or strong emotion--
He was livid, and his breathing was shallow, but the doctor thinks he'll survive.
He was livid with rage, but he didn't say a word.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He was livid and seemed to be choking, but he lived and recovered his health."

holiday, holy day

Holiday or holiday ( one word ) means a day off from school or work; a day when some occasion is celebrated--
We have a three day weekend, because of the Monday holiday for Labor Day.
The children have a long holiday at Christmas and Easter.

Holy day or holy day ( two words ) means, to some religious people, a day to attend church, even if it isn't the sabbath, in order to commemorate a religious event, or to observe a particular religious anniversary or occasion--
Many of the children are absent form school because Ash Wednesday is a holy day for them.
If a holy day of your religion falls on a work day, you may take the day off, using a personal day.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"New Year's Day is a holy day for many religious people, but it's also a holiday for the rest of us."

Note--a "Monday holiday" means celebrating a holiday on the closest Monday, to make a three-day weekend--
There is a Monday holiday next week, so we'll only work four days.
Note # 2 --"wholly" means entirely or completely, and so might be used in a sentence with "day" to make "wholly day"--
The sun had just started to rise; it wasn't wholly day.