surprisingly

The word “surprisingly” means in a way that is unexpected or astonishing. In plain terms, used to flag that something turned out differently than expected.

“Surprisingly” is pronounced suh-PREYE-zihng-lee (/səˈpɹaɪzɪŋli/ in IPA).

Here is “surprisingly” used in a sentence: “The exam was surprisingly easy.”

“Surprisingly” is an adverb.

“Surprisingly” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Surprisingly often works as a sentence adverb at the start of a sentence, followed by a comma: "Surprisingly, the plan worked." It can also sit directly before an adjective or adverb it intensifies, as in "a surprisingly good result" or "it healed surprisingly fast."

Both describe something that was not anticipated, but surprisingly emphasizes the reaction of astonishment, while unexpectedly more neutrally states that something was not predicted. "The medicine worked surprisingly fast" highlights how astonishing the speed is; "the meeting ended unexpectedly" simply records that no one saw it coming.

Both are standard and mean the same thing: the outcome was predictable. Unsurprisingly is a single, slightly more concise adverb, while not surprisingly is a common set phrase; either can open a sentence followed by a comma.