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Chi-Square Calculator

Goodness of fit, with the expected-count rule checked.

Work out Chi-Square. Goodness of fit, with the expected-count rule checked. Says what the result does not mean.

Written and maintained by Mohit PatelLast checked August 4, 2026How we build these

Comma separated, in the same order as the expected counts.

Chi-square statistic

2

p = 0.1573 · 1 degrees of freedom

Chi-square2
p value0.157299
Degrees of freedom1
Significant?No
ConclusionDo not reject the null at α = 0.05 — the counts are consistent with the expected distribution

χ² = Σ (observed − expected)² / expected, summed across categories. It measures how far a set of counts strays from what a hypothesis predicts. Degrees of freedom for a goodness-of-fit test is the number of categories minus one, because once all but one category is known the last is determined by the total.

How the Chi-Square Calculator works

Enter observed and expected counts for the chi-square statistic, degrees of freedom and p value. The page warns when any expected count falls below 5, which is the point at which the approximation stops being reliable.

Also known as: chi square test calculator · goodness of fit calculator · chi square p value calculator · observed vs expected calculator

Frequently asked questions

What is the chi-square statistic?

Σ (observed − expected)² / expected, summed across categories. It measures how far a set of counts strays from what a hypothesis predicts, weighting each category by how much was expected there.

Why must expected counts be at least 5?

Because chi-square approximates a discrete distribution with a continuous one, and that approximation degrades badly with small counts. Below 5 the p value is unreliable and Fisher's exact test is the better choice.

How many degrees of freedom?

Categories minus one for a goodness-of-fit test. Once all but one category is known the last is fixed by the total, so only k−1 are free.

Can chi-square use percentages?

No — it needs actual counts. Feeding it percentages makes the statistic depend on your choice of scale rather than on the evidence, and 60/40 from 10 observations is treated identically to 60/40 from 10,000.

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The one-line version
<iframe src="https://www.thecalclibrary.com/embed/chi-square-calculator" width="100%" height="640" style="border:1px solid #e2e8f0;border-radius:12px" loading="lazy" title="Chi-Square Calculator"></iframe>
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