KAZH-uh-wuh-lee
/ˈkæʒəwəli/
casually is pronounced KAZH-uh-wuh-lee (/ˈkæʒəwəli/). Casually is an adverb describing something done in a relaxed, unconcerned, or informal manner; as a modifier, it can also indicate occurrence without ceremony or planning. In everyday use, it often implies ease or nonchalance, and in writing or speech it signals a casual, informal tone. The word originates from casual, with -ly forming an adverbial suffix.
Casually is an adverb describing something done in a relaxed, unconcerned, or informal manner; as a modifier, it can also indicate occurrence without ceremony or planning. In everyday use, it often implies ease or nonchalance, and in writing or speech it signals a casual, informal tone. The word originates from casual, with -ly forming an adverbial suffix.
"She waved casually from the doorway, as if nothing important was happening."
"They dressed casually for the picnic, sneakers and jeans in comfortable harmony."
"He spoke casually about the plan, not wanting to seem too eager."
Casually is pronounced /ˈkaʒ.u.ə.li/ in many US and UK varieties, with primary stress on the first syllable. The first syllable sounds like 'ka' with a voiced palato-alveolar fricative 'zh' (/ʒ/). The middle syllable is a reduced 'u' sound, and the final syllable 'ly' is roughly /li/. In careful speech you may hear /ˈkæʒ.ju.ə.li/ in some speakers, but the more common modern realization blends to /ˈkaʒ.u.ə.li/ with a light pause between syllables and a soft, flowing transition. Pay attention to the /ʒ/ and the three-syllable rhythm: strong-weak-uh-lee.
Common mistakes include pronouncing it as /ˈkæs.ju.əl.i/ with an American /æ/ in the first syllable instead of /ʒ/ or misplacing the /ʒ/ as /ʃ/. Another error is stressing the wrong syllable, saying /ˈ kæ.su.ə.li / with primary stress on a later syllable. To correct: keep the first syllable with a /ʒ/ sound: /ˈkaʒ.u.ə.li/ and maintain even rhythm across three syllables, avoiding a harsh /l/ or extra vowel insertion between syllables.
US English often uses /ˈkaʒ.u.ə.li/ with a clear /ʒ/ and non-rhotic or rhotic tendencies depending on region; UK varieties lean toward a similar /ˈkaʒ.u.ə.li/ but may have subtle vowel shifts in /ə/ and /ɪ/ or /iː/ in certain dialects. Australian English tends to reduce vowels more in the middle syllable and can produce /ˈkaʒ.ju.ə.li/ with a slightly flatter /ə/ and stronger syllable timing. Across all, the /ʒ/ is a distinctive feature; some speakers may substitute with /ʒ/ as /ʃ/ in rapid speech.
The difficulty centers on the /ʒ/ sound in the first syllable, which is less common in some languages and can be substituted with /ʃ/ or /dʒ/. The three-syllable structure also demands smooth, rapid transitions: /kaʒ.u.ə.li/ requires precise tongue shape for the /ʒ/ and relaxed vowel reduction in the middle, plus ensuring the final /li/ aligns with a light, unstressed ending. Practicing the sequence slowly helps align articulators before speed.
Casually most commonly remains three syllables in careful speech, /ˈkaʒ.u.ə.li/. In very rapid, informal speech some speakers might reduce it to a two-syllable form like /ˈkaː.dʒu.li/ or contract vowels, but this is less standard and can reduce clarity. For most contexts, aim for three distinct syllables with steady /ʒ/ and unstressed middle vowel.
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US: usually /ˈkaʒ.u.ə.li/ with prominent /ʒ/ and mid schwa; tendency to reduce the second syllable slightly in fast speech. UK: similar, but may start with a slightly longer /a/ or /æ/ depending on region; final /li/ can be more clipped. AU: more vowel reduction in the middle vowels; the /ʒ/ remains, but the overall vowel quality is flatter, giving a more relaxed rhythm. IPA references help: /ˈkaʒ.u.ə.li/ (US/UK) vs /ˈkaː.ʒu.ə.li/ in some Australian dialects. Practice tip: record yourself and compare to native samples.
Casually derives from casual, from the late Latin casālis meaning ‘of a house or situation,’ from casus ‘case, occurrence.’ In English, casual originally described things belonging to everyday life, not formal or ceremonial. By the 17th-18th centuries, casual gained sense of relaxed, informal clothing and behavior. The suffix -ly was added to form an adverb, producing casually to describe the manner of action. The core sense shifted from incidental, ordinary, or accidental to the modern inference of unconcerned or informal behavior. First known use in print appears in the 17th century with the adjective casual; the adverbial form casually appears as usage expanded through 18th and 19th centuries, aligning with patterns in English where -ly forms are used to modify verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, often signaling manner, degree, or frequency.
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Words that rhyme with "casually"
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