go up vs ascend

go up and ascend both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
go up	No	No	Yes	No
ascend	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, ascend is a hyponym of go up; that is, ascend is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than go up:

As verbs, go up and ascend are synonyms defined as:

go up (verb)	ascend (verb)
increase in value or to a higher point	slope upwards
burn completely; be consumed or destroyed by fire	travel up
move upward	come up, of celestial bodies
go upward with gradual or continuous progress	go along towards (a river's) source
be erected, built, or constructed	move to a better position in life or to a better job
move towards	appear to be moving upward, as by means of tendrils
travel up	become king or queen
	go back in order of genealogical succession