Although appetite and hunger are not totally the same, they usually work to produce the same result i.e.; both will create the desire to eat in people. Appetite means a strong desire for food or drink. At times, this feeling may come very strongly in people.
Most times, appetite is usually about the desire to eat a particular type of food or drink. And the need to get certain nutritional benefits from a particular food and their good taste are the reasons why people easily develop an appetite for certain foods. On the other hand, hunger is a compelling desire for food.
When an individual hasn't eaten for some hours, such an individual will start having a compelling feeling for food. At this point, a hungry person does not desire for a particular food, but any food, and that is why hunger is usually considered to be very serious compared to appetite.