pretend vs act

pretend and act both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
pretend	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
act	Yes	No	Yes	No

As verbs, act is a hypernym of pretend; that is, act is a word with a broader meaning than pretend:

Other hypernyms of pretend include play, represent.

As verbs, pretend and act are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of pretend include dissemble.

pretend (noun)	act (noun)
the enactment of a pretense	something that people do or cause to happen
	a subdivision of a play or opera or ballet
	a legal document codifying the result of deliberations of a committee or society or legislative body
	a short performance that is part of a longer program
	a manifestation of insincerity

pretend (adjective)	act (adjective)
imagined as in a play

pretend (verb)	act (verb)
make believe with the intent to deceive	behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like	pretend to have certain qualities or state of mind
put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation	discharge one's duties
state insincerely	play a role or part
behave unnaturally or affectedly	perform on a stage or theater
put forward a claim and assert right or possession of	behave unnaturally or affectedly
	perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
	have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected
	be suitable for theatrical performance