ground vs soil

ground and soil both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
ground	Yes	No	Yes	No
soil	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, ground and soil are synonyms defined as:

ground and soil: material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use)

Other synonyms of ground include land.

As nouns, soil is a hyponym of ground; that is, soil is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than ground:

ground: the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface
soil: the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock

Other hyponyms of ground include moraine, diatomaceous earth, diatomite, kieselguhr, saprolite, dirt.

ground (noun)	soil (noun)
the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface	the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state
(art) the surface (as a wall or canvas) prepared to take the paint for a painting	material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use)
a connection between an electrical device and a large conducting body, such as the earth (which is taken to be at zero voltage)	anything regarded as making something unclean
the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground	the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock
a relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the figure on which attention is focused
a position to be won or defended in battle (or as if in battle)
a rational motive for a belief or action
the solid part of the earth's surface
material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use)
a relation that provides the foundation for something
the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface

ground (verb)	soil (verb)
use as a basis for; found on	make soiled, filthy, or dirty
instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject
place or put on the ground
confine or restrict to the ground
connect to a ground
cover with a primer; apply a primer to
fix firmly and stably
(baseball) a hit that travels along the playing field.
throw to the ground in order to stop play and avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage
hit or reach the ground
bring to the ground