gunnel vs wale

gunnel and wale both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
gunnel	Yes	No	No	No
wale	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, wale is a hypernym of gunnel; that is, wale is a word with a broader meaning than gunnel:

gunnel: wale at the top of the side of boat; topmost planking of a wooden vessel
wale: thick plank forming a ridge along the side of a wooden ship

Other hypernyms of gunnel include strake.

gunnel (noun)	wale (noun)
small eellike fishes common in shallow waters of the northern Atlantic	thick plank forming a ridge along the side of a wooden ship
wale at the top of the side of boat; topmost planking of a wooden vessel	a raised mark on the skin (as produced by the blow of a whip); characteristic of many allergic reactions