act vs pretend

act and pretend both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
act	Yes	No	Yes	No
pretend	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

As verbs, pretend is a hyponym of act; that is, pretend is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than act:

Other hyponyms of act include make, make believe, support, act out, enact, reenact, act out, impersonate, portray, parody, emote.

As verbs, act and pretend are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of act include dissemble.

act (noun)	pretend (noun)
something that people do or cause to happen	the enactment of a pretense
a subdivision of a play or opera or ballet
a legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body
a short performance that is part of a longer program
a manifestation of insincerity

act (adjective)	pretend (adjective)
	imagined as in a play

act (verb)	pretend (verb)
behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself	make believe with the intent to deceive
pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind	represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like
discharge one's duties	put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation
play a role or part	state insincerely
perform on a stage or theater	behave unnaturally or affectedly
behave unnaturally or affectedly	put forward a claim and assert right or possession of
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected
be suitable for theatrical performance