essay vs attempt

essay and attempt both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
essay	Yes	No	Yes	No
attempt	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, attempt is a hypernym of essay; that is, attempt is a word with a broader meaning than essay:

essay: a tentative attempt
attempt: earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

Other hypernyms of essay include effort, endeavor, endeavour, try.

As verbs, essay and attempt are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of essay include assay, seek, try.

essay (noun)	attempt (noun)
a tentative attempt	earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
an analytic or interpretive literary composition	the act of attacking

essay (verb)	attempt (verb)
make an effort or attempt	enter upon an activity or enterprise
put to the test, as for its quality, or give experimental use to	make an effort or attempt