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A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens

View on Project Gutenberg

About A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a medium read in English (classics, fantasy). It takes about 2 h 23 min at 200 words per minute, a comfortable pace for language learners. The book is in the public domain and comes from Project Gutenberg.

When you open it, the text is downloaded once and saved in your browser, so you can keep reading offline and your progress stays on your device.

Main characters in A Christmas Carol

Engraving-style illustration of an old man in a nightcap kneeling by his bed as a ghost wrapped in heavy chains floats beside a frosty window.
AI-generated illustration

On Christmas Eve, the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his dead partner Jacob Marley and then by three spirits who show him his past, present and possible future. He wakes on Christmas morning changed and generous.

  • Ebenezer Scrooge

    A cold, miserly businessman who hates Christmas and learns to change.

  • Bob Cratchit

    Scrooge's poorly paid and kindly clerk, with a large family.

  • Tiny Tim

    Bob Cratchit's youngest son, who is ill and cheerful.

  • Jacob Marley

    Scrooge's dead business partner, who returns as a ghost in chains to warn him.

  • Fred

    Scrooge's cheerful nephew, who invites him to Christmas dinner every year.

  • The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come

    The three spirits who show Scrooge his life and where it is heading.

Questions about A Christmas Carol

How many words are in A Christmas Carol?
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens has about 29,000 words. At 200 words per minute, a comfortable pace for language learners, it takes about 2 h 23 min to read.
Who are the main characters in A Christmas Carol?
The main characters are Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley, Fred and The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.
Can I read A Christmas Carol for free?
Yes. A Christmas Carol is in the public domain, and you can read it free in English on PolyglotReader with inline translation, word lookup and audio.

A Christmas Carol is more than a book: it is a language-learning tool

Most people learn a language from lessons and word lists that have nothing to do with what they enjoy. Here you learn from a real story. You read A Christmas Carol in English, and every step that helps you understand and remember it is one tap away. The words you meet in the book are the words you practise.

  1. Read
  2. Look up
  3. Listen
  4. Save
  5. Practise
  • Inline translation

    Stay in the original text and check the meaning only when you need to.

  • Word lookup

    A dictionary entry gives you ten meanings. A contextual lookup gives you the one that fits.

  • Audio narration

    Hear how the text sounds while your eyes follow the words.

  • B1 simplification

    Read the book you want now, at a level you can follow, and move up to the original later.

  • Flashcards

    Practise the words you actually met, in the books you actually chose.

  • Word games

    Test yourself on the exact sentences you just read.

  • My Dictionary

    One searchable list of every word you chose to keep, with the meaning you picked.

  • Daily goal

    A small target you meet every day beats a long session you never get round to.

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Play word games with A Christmas Carol

Reading shows you the words, games make you use them. Press Play in the reading toolbar and PolyglotReader builds short games from the English page you are on, so you practise the vocabulary of A Christmas Carol itself.

  • Fill the blanks

    One word is hidden in a sentence from the page. Pick the right one from four choices.

  • Type the word

    Type the hidden word. The first letter is shown, and Say it lets you hear the word.

  • Unscramble

    The words of a sentence are shuffled. Tap them back into the right order.

Games are made in your browser from the book text, with points, streaks and stars. How the word games work

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