betoken vs tell

betoken and tell both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
betoken	No	No	Yes	No
tell	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, tell is a hypernym of betoken; that is, tell is a word with a broader meaning than betoken:

betoken (verb)	tell (verb)
indicate, as with a sign or an omen	discern or comprehend
be a signal for or a symptom of	mark as different
	let something be known
	narrate or give a detailed account of
	give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority
	give evidence
	express in words
	inform positively and with certainty and confidence