begin vs commence

begin and commence both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
begin	No	No	Yes	No
commence	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, begin and commence are synonyms defined as:

begin and commence: take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

Other synonyms of begin include get, get down, set about, set out, start, start out.

As verbs, begin and commence are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of begin include lead off, start.

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

begin (verb)	commence (verb)
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action	take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
set in motion, cause to start	set in motion, cause to start
begin to speak or say	get off the ground
begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language
achieve or accomplish in the least degree, usually used in the negative
begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object
have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense
be the first item or point, constitute the beginning or start, come first in a series
have a beginning characterized in some specified way
have a beginning, of a temporal event