Anglican Prayer Bead sets consist of thirty-three beads divided into four groups of seven with five additional single beads. The number thirty-three signifies the number of years that Christ lived on the Earth, while the number seven signifies wholeness or completion in the faith, the days of creation, and the seasons of the Church year.

The groupings are called "weeks," in contrast to the Catholic rosary which uses five groups of ten beads called "decades." The four beads between and usually larger than the "weeks" beads are called "cruciform" beads. When the loop of beads is opened into a circular shape, these particular beads form the points of a cross within the circle of the rosary, hence the term "cruciform." Next after the cross on Anglican Prayer Bead sets is a single bead termed the "invitatory" bead, giving the total of thirty-three. Prayer may begin on either the cross itself or on the "invitatory" bead.

Anglican Prayer Bead sets usually feature a cross instead of a crucifix (cross with "corpus"). Some users, however, prefer theirs to have a small crucifix instead.

The beads used are made of a variety of materials, such as precious stones, wood, dried and painted seeds, coloured glass, antique jewelry, or jade. Knots, if any, also vary in size.

The purpose and use of the Anglican set are different from those of the Catholic rosary. While both types of rosaries are intended as aids to contemplative prayer, the most common prayers used with the Catholic rosary focus on the seminal events in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ and venerate Mary.

In contrast, Anglican Prayer Beads are considered a tactile aid used to focus one's attention, but what one will attend to can vary widely. There is no set format of prayers. Those prayed are, in effect, disciplined personal prayers. The words "I" and "we" figure prominently (unlike the Catholic Hail Mary, for example), and God is addressed directly rather than through intercession.

There are many sources and inspirations for the prayers used with Anglican Prayer Beads. These include the traditional hours of daily prayer, the church seasons, the mystery of God's nature, and personal intentions (for healing, for members of the armed forces, for family life, for challenges of specific professions, etc.)