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.