recess vs alcove

recess and alcove both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
recess	Yes	No	Yes	No
alcove	Yes	No	No	No

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

Other hyponyms of recess include bay, apse, apsis, cinerarium, columbarium, fireplace, hearth, open fireplace, mihrab.

recess (noun)	alcove (noun)
a pause from doing something (as work)	a small recess opening off a larger room
an enclosure that is set back or indented
an arm off of a larger body of water (often between rocky headlands)
a small concavity
a state of abeyance or suspended business