tell vs instruct

tell and instruct both are verbs.

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

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

tell: give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority
instruct: give instructions or directions for some task

Other hyponyms of tell include direct, command, require, call, send for, warn, prescribe.

tell (verb)	instruct (verb)
discern or comprehend	impart skills or knowledge to
mark as different	give instructions or directions for some task
let something be known	make aware of
narrate or give a detailed account of
give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority
give evidence
express in words
inform positively and with certainty and confidence