spell vs hocus-pocus

hocus-pocus vs spell

spell and hocus-pocus both are nouns.

spell is a verb but hocus-pocus is not a verb.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
spell	Yes	No	Yes	No
hocus-pocus	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, hocus-pocus is a hyponym of spell; that is, hocus-pocus is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than spell:

spell: a verbal formula believed to have magical force
hocus-pocus: a meaningless chant or expression used in conjuring or incantation.

Other hyponyms of spell include conjuration, incantation, curse, hex, jinx, whammy.

spell (noun)	hocus-pocus (noun)
a verbal formula believed to have magical force	verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some way
a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation	a meaningless chant or expression used in conjuring or incantation.
a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
a period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition

spell (verb)	hocus-pocus (verb)
take turns working
orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
indicate or signify
place under a spell
write or name the letters that comprise the conventionally accepted form of (a word or part of a word)
relieve (someone) from work by taking a turn

Difference between spell and hocus-pocus

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