handkerchief vs hankie

handkerchief and hankie both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
handkerchief	Yes	No	No	No
hankie	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, handkerchief and hankie are synonyms defined as:

handkerchief and hankie: a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory

Other synonyms of handkerchief include hankey, hanky.

handkerchief (noun)	hankie (noun)
a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory	a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory