What is the Difference?
Oh but this one is a challenging one! All of these homonyms are spelled differently and have unique meanings, but they sound very similar. Let’s carefully climb this 5 pointed hill together. We’ll start with the basic definitions.
Assent (noun): To give consent or agree to something.
Ascent (noun): The incline of a thing, or the path leading up something, such as the rise of a hill.
Ascend (verb): To climb or go up higher. Related to ascent in that one ascends the ascent of a thing.
Accent (noun): A point of voice stress on a syllable, or a visual mark showing where vocal stress takes place.
Accend (verb): To set on fire or to inflame something. (This word is rarely used, very archaic.)
Examples
Assent
“The crowd cheered their assent when the King asked if they wanted a city-wide celebration.”
“Before she was allowed to stay at her friends house, she had to get her mothers assent.”
Ascent
“The mountain is outlined against the golden sky, and the western ascent is very clear to see.”
“The ascent to reach success can be steep, but if you are determined you will succeed.”
Ascend
“Tomorrow we will gather our gear and ascend the mountain.”
“Every challenge is an opportunity to ascend and become a greater version of ourselves.”
Accent
“Her British accent was very obvious to everyone who heard the way she pronounced her words.”
“Make sure you put the right accent on the word, otherwise people might think you are saying something else.”
Accend
“The role of the Accensor in the Church is to accend the candles.”
“He accends the wood in the hearth every night during winter.”
