Chaplet vs Rosary — what's the difference

The short answer

The full Rosary is made up of the 4 sets of mysteries: Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious — totaling 200 Hail Marys (4 × 50). A Chaplet (in Portuguese: Terço, meaning "a third") is one set of 5 mysteries, or 50 Hail Marys.

Why is it called "Terço" in Portuguese?

The name comes from the Latin tertius — "the third part". Originally the Rosary had 3 sets of 50 (150 Hail Marys, matching the 150 Psalms). In 2002, Saint John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries, bringing the total to 200.

In practice

When someone says "I'm going to pray the Rosary today," they usually mean one of the four sets — generally the one assigned to today's weekday. When they say "the full Rosary," they mean all 4 sets.

In the app, the guided player already knows today's mystery. See the step-by-step or choose a cycle.