swear vs tell

swear and tell both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
swear	No	No	Yes	No
tell	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, tell is a hyponym of swear; that is, tell is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than swear:

Other hyponyms of swear include hold, claim, take, attest, declare, protest, assure.

swear (verb)	tell (verb)
have faith or confidence in	discern or comprehend
make a deposition; declare under oath	mark as different
utter obscenities or profanities	let something be known
promise solemnly; take an oath	narrate or give a detailed account of
to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true	give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority
	give evidence
	express in words
	inform positively and with certainty and confidence