fool vs simpleton

fool and simpleton both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
fool	Yes	No	Yes	No
simpleton	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, simpleton is a hypernym of fool; that is, simpleton is a word with a broader meaning than fool:

Other hypernyms of fool include simple.

fool (noun)	simpleton (noun)
a person who lacks good judgment	a person lacking intelligence or common sense
a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
a professional clown employed to entertain a king or nobleman in the Middle Ages

fool (verb)	simpleton (verb)
indulge in horseplay
fool or hoax
spend frivolously and unwisely
make a fool or dupe of