Unusual

How to spell unusual

7 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce unusual

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unusual mean?

1. adjectiveNot commonly occurring or encountered; out of the ordinary.

Unusual in a sentence

• The auditor flagged an unusual pattern in the monthly expenses.

• It is unusual for the train to arrive this early on a weekday.

Where does unusual come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word builds on 'usual', which English took from Old French usuel and ultimately from the Late Latin usualis, meaning 'ordinary' or 'customary'. That adjective grew out of the Latin noun usus, meaning 'use' or 'practice', the same root that gives us 'use', 'usage', and 'utensil'. The negative prefix un-, a thoroughly native English element meaning 'not', was added in the early 1600s to form 'unusual', literally 'not according to custom'. The spelling trap sits in the middle: the cluster 'usu' packs two u's around an s, and the unstressed second syllable blurs in speech, so writers can easily drop a letter. Keeping the parent word 'usual' in mind, then simply prefixing un-, is the surest way to spell it correctly.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• usu (from Latin usus: use, custom)
• -al (adjective suffix)