Unusually

How to spell unusually

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce unusually

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unusually mean?

1. adverbTo a degree that is not normal or customary; remarkably or exceptionally.

Unusually in a sentence

• The office was unusually quiet on the morning of the holiday.

• She finished the report unusually quickly this time.

Where does unusually come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built on 'usual', which English borrowed in the late 1300s from the Old French 'usuel', itself from the Latin 'usualis' meaning 'ordinary' or 'in common use'. That Latin adjective grew from 'usus', the noun for 'a use' or 'custom', and ultimately from the verb 'uti', meaning 'to use'. The native English prefix 'un-', meaning 'not', was attached to give 'unusual', and the adverb suffix '-ly' was then added to describe a manner that departs from the customary. The spelling trap lives in the middle: the unstressed vowel cluster of 'usu-' plus the doubled 'l' where '-al' meets '-ly', which together tempt writers toward forms like 'unusualy' or 'unusally'. Keeping the base word 'usual' clearly in mind, then simply adding '-ly', is the safest guard against dropping a letter.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• usual (customary, from Latin usus 'use')
• -ly (adverb suffix)