prelude vs inception

prelude and inception both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
prelude	Yes	No	Yes	No
inception	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, inception is a hypernym of prelude; that is, inception is a word with a broader meaning than prelude:

prelude: something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows
inception: an event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events

Other hypernyms of prelude include origin, origination.

prelude (noun)	inception (noun)
music that precedes a fugue or introduces an act in an opera	an event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events
something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows

prelude (verb)	inception (verb)
play as a prelude
serve as a prelude or opening to