banter vs taunt

banter and taunt both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
banter	Yes	No	Yes	No
taunt	Yes	No	Yes	No

As verbs, taunt is a hypernym of banter; that is, taunt is a word with a broader meaning than banter:

Other hypernyms of banter include bait, cod, rag, rally, razz, ride, tantalise, tantalize, tease, twit.

banter (noun)	taunt (noun)
light teasing repartee	aggravation by deriding or mocking or criticizing

banter (verb)	taunt (verb)
be silly or tease one another	harass with persistent criticism or carping