how do you say usually?

[abaka]

I think I tend to say ['jʊʒli] if I'm not putting emphasis on it, ['jʊʒəli] or ['ju:ʒəli] if I am. If I have to stand up and say something to a group, I try to enunciate more carefully: ['juʒlɪ] and ['ju:ʒəlɪ] respectively. I believe the four-syllable ['ju(:)ʒʊəli] is more common among female speakers, but I may be wrong.

[teechar]

My vote is for the version by gemmelo at www.forvo.com

[abaka]

I think all of these people are trying hard to say it as clearly as possible. That's not how they'd say it in continuous speech.

[jutfrank]

I think all of these people are trying hard to say it as clearly as possible. That's not how they'd say it in continuous speech.

I more or less agree.

The two American speakers there are not great models. It seems that they are unnaturally forcing an extra syllable. The second of the two British speakers is not great, either. The first of the British ones is the best model.

[GoesStation]

I more or less agree.

The two American speakers there are not great models. It seems that they are unnaturally forcing an extra syllable. The second of the two British speakers is not great, either. The first of the British ones is the best model.

I agree, but in slow or emphatic speech I find it natural to pronounce the second /u/.

[jutfrank]

I agree, but in slow or emphatic speech I find it natural to pronounce the second /u/.

Right, but if I were modelling this word in class, I'd make sure to use three, not four syllables. (Or rather to use a mono- and not a diphthong in the middle.)

A typical learner pronunciation inaccuracy with this word is precisely that the second 'u' is pronounced where it oughtn't be.

[abaka]

A typical learner pronunciation inaccuracy with this word is precisely that the second 'u' is pronounced where it oughtn't be.

And that's a perfect example of how educated British speech has changed over the last century.

Daniel Jones's 1916 entry in full:

u|sual, -sually, -sualness 'ju:|ʒuəl [-ʒəl], -ʒuəli [-ʒəli, -ʒḷi], -ʒuəlnis [-ʒəlnis]

-- English Pronouncing Dictionary, 1st ed.

The italicized schwa is optional, but the [ʒu] forms are asserted to be more common.

Forvo's samples indicate American pronunciation may have retained greater tolerance of the [ʒu] forms.

PS. The current 18th Cambridge edition of the EPD also gives preference to [ʒə] in RP, but has [ʒu] or [ʒw] for its American form.

[Piscean]

I haven't taken part in this thread so far because I have produced the word so many times today, carefully, quickly, on its own, in sentences, that I am honestly not sure how I usually (!) pronounce it. I think my normal pronunciation is very close to that of gemmelo (see post #12)

[jutfrank]

I usually pronounce it like this: ['ju:ʒəli]

[ensan]

You are so helpful. I noticed that no one commented on the video directly.
By the way, I used to say it as the dictionary not the woman .