rest stop vs rest area

rest stop and rest area both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
rest stop	Yes	No	No	No
rest area	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, rest stop and rest area are synonyms defined as:

rest stop and rest area: designated paved area beside a main road where cars can stop temporarily

Other synonyms of rest stop include lay-by, layby, pull-off.

rest stop (noun)	rest area (noun)
designated paved area beside a main road where cars can stop temporarily	designated paved area beside a main road where cars can stop temporarily