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codon vs. anticodon

codon vs. anticodon: What's the difference?

A codon is a sequence of three nucleotides in messenger RNA that determines the position of amino acids when a cell starts making proteins. An anticodon is a sequence of three nucleotides in transfer RNA that binds to a corresponding codon and designates a specific amino acid. The anti- in anticodon means “opposite to”—in reference to how it corresponds to the codon.

codon

[ koh-don ]
noun
  1. a triplet of adjacent nucleotides in the messenger RNA chain that codes for a specific amino acid in the synthesis of a protein molecule.

anticodon

[ an-tee-koh-don, an-tahy- ]
noun
  1. a sequence of three nucleotides in a region of transfer RNA that recognizes a complementary coding triplet of nucleotides in messenger RNA during translation by the ribosomes in protein biosynthesis.