Pronunciation: [ʌnjˈuːʒuːə͡l] (IPA) 
The spelling of the word "unusual" may seem a bit perplexing at first glance. However, it follows the basic rules of English spelling. The "u" is pronounced as "yu" and the "n" is followed by a silent "n" making "nyu". The "s" is pronounced as "zh" like in "pleasure" and "w" is pronounced as "w". Finally, "al" is pronounced as "yoo-al" with a reduced "oo" sound. Therefore, the IPA phonetic transcription of the word is /ʌnˈjuːʒuəl/.
Not usual; not common.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word unusual originated from the combination of two root words: un- and usual.
The prefix un- is derived from Old English and Middle English, and it functions as a negating or reversing element. It indicates the opposite or absence of something. In this case, un- indicates the absence or negation of something being usual.
The word usual itself comes from the Latin word usualis, which means customary or habitual. It was derived from the Latin word usus, meaning use or practice.
Therefore, when the prefix un- is added to usual, it forms the word unusual, which means not usual, out of the ordinary, or rare.
