An overlapping and a nonoverlapping genetic code would translate differently into an amino acid sequence. The example uses a codon with three nucleotides in the RNA (a triplet code). In an overlapping code, single nucleotides occupy positions in multiple codons. In this illustration, the third nucleotide in the RNA, U, is found in three codons. In a nonoverlapping code, a protein is translated by reading nucleotides sequentially in sets of three. A nucleotide is found in only one codon. In this example, the third U in the RNA is only in the first codon.