simulation vs pretend

simulation and pretend both are nouns.

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

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

Other hyponyms of simulation include appearance, show, make-believe, affectation, affectedness, mannerism, pose, charade, masquerade.

simulation (noun)	pretend (noun)
the act of giving a false appearance	the enactment of a pretense
the act of imitating the behavior of some situation or some process by means of something suitably analogous (especially for the purpose of study or personnel training)
representation of something (sometimes on a smaller scale)
(computer science) the technique of representing the real world by a computer program

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

simulation (verb)	pretend (verb)
	make believe with the intent to deceive
	represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like
	put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation
	state insincerely
	behave unnaturally or affectedly
	put forward a claim and assert right or possession of