 Ascent vs. Ascent This is another set of words that are easily confused in English. Let's take a closer look. Ascent describes an agreement or an approval. So we could say, he nodded his ascent and she continued explaining. Ascent, on the other hand, describes the action of rising or climbing up. For example, my legs retired after I took the ascent to the cabin on the ridge. I'm sure you'll never confuse the two words again. That's it for today. See you next time.