spate vs torrent

spate and torrent both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
spate	Yes	No	No	No
torrent	Yes	No	No	No

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

Other hyponyms of spate include deluge, flood, inundation, haymow.

spate (noun)	torrent (noun)
the occurrence of a water flow resulting from sudden rain or melting snow	a violently fast stream of water (or other liquid)
a sudden forceful flow	a heavy rain
(often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent	an overwhelming number or amount