30 Tailwind CSS Text Hover Effects
02 / 30

All 30 in 30 Tailwind CSS Text Hover Effects

  1. 01Tailwind CSS Animated Underline Hover Effect
  2. 02Tailwind Liquid Text Fill Hover Animation
  3. 03Tailwind Gradient Text Hover Effect with bg-clip-text
  4. 04Tailwind Animated Strikethrough Text Hover Effect
  5. 05Tailwind Text Swap and Flip Up Hover Effect
  6. 06Tailwind CSS Glitch Text Hover Effect
  7. 07Tailwind Neon Glow Text with Flicker Animation
  8. 08Tailwind Metallic Gold Shimmer Text Effect
  9. 09Tailwind 3D Text Pop and Lift Hover Effect
  10. 10Tailwind Staggered Letter Wave Hover Animation
  11. 11Tailwind Spotlight Text Reveal on Mouse Hover
  12. 12Tailwind Hover to Reveal Hidden Spoiler Text
  13. 13Tailwind Blur to Focus Text Hover Effect
  14. 14Tailwind Magnetic Hover Effect for Buttons and Text
  15. 15Tailwind Letter Spacing Expand on Hover (Tracking Animation)
  16. 16Tailwind Outline Text Stroke to Fill Hover Effect
  17. 17Tailwind Text Scramble and Matrix Decrypt Hover Effect
  18. 18Tailwind Animated Border Button Hover Effect
  19. 19Tailwind Elastic Rubber Band Text Hover Animation
  20. 20Tailwind Variable Font Weight Hover Animation
  21. 21Tailwind Animated Rainbow Gradient Text on Hover
  22. 22Tailwind 3D Perspective Tilt Text Hover Effect
  23. 23Tailwind Smoke Dissolve Text Hover Effect
  24. 24Tailwind Fire Text Effect with Heat Wave Glow
  25. 25Tailwind Dynamic Text Shadow that Follows the Cursor
  26. 26Tailwind Infinite Text Marquee that Speeds Up on Hover
  27. 27Tailwind Duotone Split Color Text Hover Effect
  28. 28Tailwind CSS Tooltip on Hover (No JavaScript)
  29. 29Tailwind SVG Water Ripple Distortion Text Effect
  30. 30Tailwind Clip-Path Text Reveal Hover Animation
Tailwind v4MIT licensed

Tailwind Liquid Text Fill Hover Animation

A hollow wordmark that floods with water on hover: an outlined layer ([-webkit-text-stroke:…]) under a gradient layer clipped with bg-clip-text and a typed @property level that tweens from 0% to 104%, then bobs. The nav pills below fill bottom-up with bg-[length:100%_0%] → hover:bg-[length:100%_100%].

Live Demo
Plain CSSTailwind v4
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The code

<section class="tth-02 @container w-full min-h-svh grid place-items-center bg-tth02-bg bg-[radial-gradient(120%_90%_at_50%_0%,var(--color-tth02-deep),var(--color-tth02-bg)_60%)] px-5 py-14 font-tth02-sans text-tth02-ink" aria-label="Liquid text fill on hover demo">
  <div class="flex w-full max-w-[52rem] flex-col items-center gap-6 text-center">
    <p class="text-xs font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.28em] text-tth02-mut">Tidewater Swim Co. &mdash; Summer '26</p>
    <a id="tth02-top" href="#tth02-top" class="group/word relative inline-block rounded px-[0.04em] py-[0.06em] font-tth02-display text-[clamp(44px,11cqi,118px)] font-black leading-[1.04] tracking-[-0.03em] no-underline [--tth02-fill:0%] transition-[--tth02-fill] duration-900 ease-[cubic-bezier(.3,.9,.2,1)] hover:[--tth02-fill:104%] focus-visible:[--tth02-fill:104%] focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-8 focus-visible:outline-tth02-hi motion-reduce:transition-none">
      <span class="block text-tth02-bg [paint-order:stroke_fill] [-webkit-text-stroke:3px_color-mix(in_oklch,var(--color-tth02-ink)_55%,transparent)]">TIDEWATER</span>
      <span aria-hidden="true" class="absolute inset-0 block px-[0.04em] py-[0.06em] bg-[linear-gradient(180deg,var(--color-tth02-hi)_0%,var(--color-tth02-hi)_6%,var(--color-tth02-lo)_60%,var(--color-tth02-abyss)_100%)] bg-clip-text text-transparent [clip-path:inset(calc(100%-var(--tth02-fill)+var(--tth02-bob))_-6%_-6%_-6%)] group-hover/word:animate-tth02-bob group-focus-visible/word:animate-tth02-bob motion-reduce:animate-none!">TIDEWATER</span>
    </a>
    <p class="max-w-[52ch] text-[15px] leading-[1.7] text-tth02-mut">Hold the cursor on the wordmark and let it flood. The level is one typed <code class="rounded-[5px] bg-tth02-chip px-1.5 py-px font-tth02-mono text-[0.88em] text-tth02-hi">@property</code>; the wave is a 3s keyframe on the clip edge.</p>
    <nav class="mt-1.5 flex flex-wrap justify-center gap-2.5" aria-label="Collection">
      <a href="#tth02-top" class="grid min-h-11 place-items-center rounded-full border-[1.5px] border-tth02-ink/30 px-6 text-sm font-semibold no-underline bg-[linear-gradient(180deg,var(--color-tth02-hi),var(--color-tth02-lo))] bg-no-repeat bg-[position:0_100%] bg-[length:100%_0%] transition-[background-size,color,border-color] duration-450 ease-[cubic-bezier(.3,.9,.2,1)] hover:bg-[length:100%_100%] hover:border-transparent hover:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:bg-[length:100%_100%] focus-visible:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-[3px] focus-visible:outline-tth02-hi motion-reduce:transition-none">Swimwear</a>
      <a href="#tth02-top" class="grid min-h-11 place-items-center rounded-full border-[1.5px] border-tth02-ink/30 px-6 text-sm font-semibold no-underline bg-[linear-gradient(180deg,var(--color-tth02-hi),var(--color-tth02-lo))] bg-no-repeat bg-[position:0_100%] bg-[length:100%_0%] transition-[background-size,color,border-color] duration-450 ease-[cubic-bezier(.3,.9,.2,1)] hover:bg-[length:100%_100%] hover:border-transparent hover:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:bg-[length:100%_100%] focus-visible:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-[3px] focus-visible:outline-tth02-hi motion-reduce:transition-none">Wetsuits</a>
      <a href="#tth02-top" class="grid min-h-11 place-items-center rounded-full border-[1.5px] border-tth02-ink/30 px-6 text-sm font-semibold no-underline bg-[linear-gradient(180deg,var(--color-tth02-hi),var(--color-tth02-lo))] bg-no-repeat bg-[position:0_100%] bg-[length:100%_0%] transition-[background-size,color,border-color] duration-450 ease-[cubic-bezier(.3,.9,.2,1)] hover:bg-[length:100%_100%] hover:border-transparent hover:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:bg-[length:100%_100%] focus-visible:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-[3px] focus-visible:outline-tth02-hi motion-reduce:transition-none">Open water</a>
      <a href="#tth02-top" class="grid min-h-11 place-items-center rounded-full border-[1.5px] border-tth02-ink/30 px-6 text-sm font-semibold no-underline bg-[linear-gradient(180deg,var(--color-tth02-hi),var(--color-tth02-lo))] bg-no-repeat bg-[position:0_100%] bg-[length:100%_0%] transition-[background-size,color,border-color] duration-450 ease-[cubic-bezier(.3,.9,.2,1)] hover:bg-[length:100%_100%] hover:border-transparent hover:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:bg-[length:100%_100%] focus-visible:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-[3px] focus-visible:outline-tth02-hi motion-reduce:transition-none">Journal</a>
    </nav>
    <p class="text-[12.5px] text-tth02-mut">Nav pills fill bottom-up with <code class="rounded-[5px] bg-tth02-chip px-1.5 py-px font-tth02-mono text-[0.88em] text-tth02-hi">bg-[length:100%_0%]</code> alone &mdash; the one-element version of the same idea.</p>
  </div>
</section>
@import "tailwindcss";
/* Typed properties: the one thing utilities cannot declare. Without them the level snaps instead of tweening. */

@property --tth02-fill {
  syntax: '<percentage>';
  inherits: true;
  initial-value: 0%;
}

@property --tth02-bob {
  syntax: '<percentage>';
  inherits: true;
  initial-value: 0%;
}

@theme {
  --color-tth02-bg: #0b1424;
  --color-tth02-bg: oklch(0.17 0.03 250);
  --color-tth02-deep: #112241;
  --color-tth02-deep: oklch(0.23 0.05 255);
  --color-tth02-chip: #1b2a42;
  --color-tth02-chip: oklch(0.27 0.04 250);
  --color-tth02-ink: #ebf1f6;
  --color-tth02-ink: oklch(0.95 0.01 230);
  --color-tth02-mut: #9eabbe;
  --color-tth02-mut: oklch(0.74 0.03 240);
  --color-tth02-hi: #8fd6f5;
  --color-tth02-hi: oklch(0.85 0.11 220);
  --color-tth02-lo: #2f6de0;
  --color-tth02-lo: oklch(0.55 0.19 255);
  --color-tth02-abyss: #23409a;
  --color-tth02-abyss: oklch(0.4 0.16 262);
  --font-tth02-display: 'Unbounded', system-ui, sans-serif;
  --font-tth02-sans: 'Inter Tight', system-ui, sans-serif;
  --font-tth02-mono: 'JetBrains Mono', ui-monospace, monospace;
  --animate-tth02-bob: tth02-bob 3s ease-in-out 0.9s infinite;

  @keyframes tth02-bob {
    0%,
        100% {
      --tth02-bob: 0%;
    }

    50% {
      --tth02-bob: 1.6%;
    }
  }
}

.tth-02 {
  width: 100%;
  min-height: 100svh;
}

Setup — do this once per project

Skip this if your project already runs Tailwind v4.

1Load Tailwind
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/@tailwindcss/browser@4"></script>

Compiles in the browser — perfect for a CodePen or a quick test, not for production.

2Add the stylesheetRequiredthe @theme block is what makes the custom utilities exist
@import "tailwindcss";
/* Typed properties: the one thing utilities cannot declare. Without them the level snaps instead of tweening. */

@property --tth02-fill {
  syntax: '<percentage>';
  inherits: true;
  initial-value: 0%;
}

@property --tth02-bob {
  syntax: '<percentage>';
  inherits: true;
  initial-value: 0%;
}

@theme {
  --color-tth02-bg: #0b1424;
  --color-tth02-bg: oklch(0.17 0.03 250);
  --color-tth02-deep: #112241;
  --color-tth02-deep: oklch(0.23 0.05 255);
  --color-tth02-chip: #1b2a42;
  --color-tth02-chip: oklch(0.27 0.04 250);
  --color-tth02-ink: #ebf1f6;
  --color-tth02-ink: oklch(0.95 0.01 230);
  --color-tth02-mut: #9eabbe;
  --color-tth02-mut: oklch(0.74 0.03 240);
  --color-tth02-hi: #8fd6f5;
  --color-tth02-hi: oklch(0.85 0.11 220);
  --color-tth02-lo: #2f6de0;
  --color-tth02-lo: oklch(0.55 0.19 255);
  --color-tth02-abyss: #23409a;
  --color-tth02-abyss: oklch(0.4 0.16 262);
  --font-tth02-display: 'Unbounded', system-ui, sans-serif;
  --font-tth02-sans: 'Inter Tight', system-ui, sans-serif;
  --font-tth02-mono: 'JetBrains Mono', ui-monospace, monospace;
  --animate-tth02-bob: tth02-bob 3s ease-in-out 0.9s infinite;

  @keyframes tth02-bob {
    0%,
        100% {
      --tth02-bob: 0%;
    }

    50% {
      --tth02-bob: 1.6%;
    }
  }
}

.tth-02 {
  width: 100%;
  min-height: 100svh;
}
3Fonts used by this demooptional — skip if you have your own type stack
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Unbounded:wght@400..900&family=Inter+Tight:wght@400;500;600;700&family=JetBrains+Mono:wght@400;600&display=swap">

What changed in the port

Which parts became utilities, which stayed CSS, and why.

  • .cth-02__word:hover{--cth02-fill:104%} became the arbitrary-property variant hover:[--tth02-fill:104%]; the two @property rules are the only CSS left besides tokens.
  • The descendant rule .word:hover .liquid{animation:…} became group-hover/word:animate-tth02-bob on the layer itself.
  • UI upgrade from the CSS original: Unbounded's wide black cut gives the wordmark a real liquid-container silhouette (more interior to flood), and muted copy rose from 0.66 to 0.74 lightness — 7.1:1 on the navy stage.
  • UI upgrade: the outline is a 3px stroke painted under a stage-coloured fill ([paint-order:stroke_fill]), which hides the internal contour overlaps variable fonts show through a plain text-stroke and leaves a crisp 1.5px edge. Pills now animate color and border-color in the same transition list, so the text no longer flashes dark before the fill arrives.
Paste this into ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or any coding assistant. The block below is pre-framed with everything the AI needs to integrate this demo into your project — markup, styles, scoping notes, and the source URL. Hit Copy and paste straight into your chat.
Here's a working CSS demo from CodeFronts. Use it as-is or adapt to your framework. All classes are scoped under a unique prefix so the code won't collide with your existing styles. MIT licensed.
Demo: Tailwind Liquid Text Fill Hover Animation
Source: https://codefronts.com/motion/tailwind-css-text-hover-effects/tailwind-liquid-text-fill-hover-animation/

A hollow wordmark that floods with water on hover: an outlined layer ([-webkit-text-stroke:…]) under a gradient layer clipped with bg-clip-text and a typed @property level that tweens from 0% to 104%, then bobs. The nav pills below fill bottom-up with bg-[length:100%_0%] → hover:bg-[length:100%_100%].
## HTML
```html
<section class="tth-02 @container w-full min-h-svh grid place-items-center bg-tth02-bg bg-[radial-gradient(120%_90%_at_50%_0%,var(--color-tth02-deep),var(--color-tth02-bg)_60%)] px-5 py-14 font-tth02-sans text-tth02-ink" aria-label="Liquid text fill on hover demo">
  <div class="flex w-full max-w-[52rem] flex-col items-center gap-6 text-center">
    <p class="text-xs font-bold uppercase tracking-[0.28em] text-tth02-mut">Tidewater Swim Co. &mdash; Summer '26</p>
    <a id="tth02-top" href="#tth02-top" class="group/word relative inline-block rounded px-[0.04em] py-[0.06em] font-tth02-display text-[clamp(44px,11cqi,118px)] font-black leading-[1.04] tracking-[-0.03em] no-underline [--tth02-fill:0%] transition-[--tth02-fill] duration-900 ease-[cubic-bezier(.3,.9,.2,1)] hover:[--tth02-fill:104%] focus-visible:[--tth02-fill:104%] focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-8 focus-visible:outline-tth02-hi motion-reduce:transition-none">
      <span class="block text-tth02-bg [paint-order:stroke_fill] [-webkit-text-stroke:3px_color-mix(in_oklch,var(--color-tth02-ink)_55%,transparent)]">TIDEWATER</span>
      <span aria-hidden="true" class="absolute inset-0 block px-[0.04em] py-[0.06em] bg-[linear-gradient(180deg,var(--color-tth02-hi)_0%,var(--color-tth02-hi)_6%,var(--color-tth02-lo)_60%,var(--color-tth02-abyss)_100%)] bg-clip-text text-transparent [clip-path:inset(calc(100%-var(--tth02-fill)+var(--tth02-bob))_-6%_-6%_-6%)] group-hover/word:animate-tth02-bob group-focus-visible/word:animate-tth02-bob motion-reduce:animate-none!">TIDEWATER</span>
    </a>
    <p class="max-w-[52ch] text-[15px] leading-[1.7] text-tth02-mut">Hold the cursor on the wordmark and let it flood. The level is one typed <code class="rounded-[5px] bg-tth02-chip px-1.5 py-px font-tth02-mono text-[0.88em] text-tth02-hi">@property</code>; the wave is a 3s keyframe on the clip edge.</p>
    <nav class="mt-1.5 flex flex-wrap justify-center gap-2.5" aria-label="Collection">
      <a href="#tth02-top" class="grid min-h-11 place-items-center rounded-full border-[1.5px] border-tth02-ink/30 px-6 text-sm font-semibold no-underline bg-[linear-gradient(180deg,var(--color-tth02-hi),var(--color-tth02-lo))] bg-no-repeat bg-[position:0_100%] bg-[length:100%_0%] transition-[background-size,color,border-color] duration-450 ease-[cubic-bezier(.3,.9,.2,1)] hover:bg-[length:100%_100%] hover:border-transparent hover:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:bg-[length:100%_100%] focus-visible:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-[3px] focus-visible:outline-tth02-hi motion-reduce:transition-none">Swimwear</a>
      <a href="#tth02-top" class="grid min-h-11 place-items-center rounded-full border-[1.5px] border-tth02-ink/30 px-6 text-sm font-semibold no-underline bg-[linear-gradient(180deg,var(--color-tth02-hi),var(--color-tth02-lo))] bg-no-repeat bg-[position:0_100%] bg-[length:100%_0%] transition-[background-size,color,border-color] duration-450 ease-[cubic-bezier(.3,.9,.2,1)] hover:bg-[length:100%_100%] hover:border-transparent hover:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:bg-[length:100%_100%] focus-visible:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-[3px] focus-visible:outline-tth02-hi motion-reduce:transition-none">Wetsuits</a>
      <a href="#tth02-top" class="grid min-h-11 place-items-center rounded-full border-[1.5px] border-tth02-ink/30 px-6 text-sm font-semibold no-underline bg-[linear-gradient(180deg,var(--color-tth02-hi),var(--color-tth02-lo))] bg-no-repeat bg-[position:0_100%] bg-[length:100%_0%] transition-[background-size,color,border-color] duration-450 ease-[cubic-bezier(.3,.9,.2,1)] hover:bg-[length:100%_100%] hover:border-transparent hover:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:bg-[length:100%_100%] focus-visible:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-[3px] focus-visible:outline-tth02-hi motion-reduce:transition-none">Open water</a>
      <a href="#tth02-top" class="grid min-h-11 place-items-center rounded-full border-[1.5px] border-tth02-ink/30 px-6 text-sm font-semibold no-underline bg-[linear-gradient(180deg,var(--color-tth02-hi),var(--color-tth02-lo))] bg-no-repeat bg-[position:0_100%] bg-[length:100%_0%] transition-[background-size,color,border-color] duration-450 ease-[cubic-bezier(.3,.9,.2,1)] hover:bg-[length:100%_100%] hover:border-transparent hover:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:bg-[length:100%_100%] focus-visible:text-tth02-bg focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-[3px] focus-visible:outline-tth02-hi motion-reduce:transition-none">Journal</a>
    </nav>
    <p class="text-[12.5px] text-tth02-mut">Nav pills fill bottom-up with <code class="rounded-[5px] bg-tth02-chip px-1.5 py-px font-tth02-mono text-[0.88em] text-tth02-hi">bg-[length:100%_0%]</code> alone &mdash; the one-element version of the same idea.</p>
  </div>
</section>
```
## CSS
```css
@import "tailwindcss";
/* Typed properties: the one thing utilities cannot declare. Without them the level snaps instead of tweening. */

@property --tth02-fill {
  syntax: '<percentage>';
  inherits: true;
  initial-value: 0%;
}

@property --tth02-bob {
  syntax: '<percentage>';
  inherits: true;
  initial-value: 0%;
}

@theme {
  --color-tth02-bg: #0b1424;
  --color-tth02-bg: oklch(0.17 0.03 250);
  --color-tth02-deep: #112241;
  --color-tth02-deep: oklch(0.23 0.05 255);
  --color-tth02-chip: #1b2a42;
  --color-tth02-chip: oklch(0.27 0.04 250);
  --color-tth02-ink: #ebf1f6;
  --color-tth02-ink: oklch(0.95 0.01 230);
  --color-tth02-mut: #9eabbe;
  --color-tth02-mut: oklch(0.74 0.03 240);
  --color-tth02-hi: #8fd6f5;
  --color-tth02-hi: oklch(0.85 0.11 220);
  --color-tth02-lo: #2f6de0;
  --color-tth02-lo: oklch(0.55 0.19 255);
  --color-tth02-abyss: #23409a;
  --color-tth02-abyss: oklch(0.4 0.16 262);
  --font-tth02-display: 'Unbounded', system-ui, sans-serif;
  --font-tth02-sans: 'Inter Tight', system-ui, sans-serif;
  --font-tth02-mono: 'JetBrains Mono', ui-monospace, monospace;
  --animate-tth02-bob: tth02-bob 3s ease-in-out 0.9s infinite;

  @keyframes tth02-bob {
    0%,
        100% {
      --tth02-bob: 0%;
    }

    50% {
      --tth02-bob: 1.6%;
    }
  }
}

.tth-02 {
  width: 100%;
  min-height: 100svh;
}
```

How this works

A typed level. @property --tth02-fill { syntax:'<percentage>' } makes the custom property interpolable, so the link can simply say transition-[--tth02-fill] duration-900 hover:[--tth02-fill:104%]. The liquid layer reads it inside its clip-path, so the clip edge rises like a water line.

<span class="absolute inset-0 bg-clip-text text-transparent
  [clip-path:inset(calc(100%-var(--tth02-fill)+var(--tth02-bob))_-6%_-6%_-6%)]
  group-hover/word:animate-tth02-bob">

The wave is a second typed property, --tth02-bob, animated by a keyframe declared inside @theme next to --animate-tth02-bob — Tailwind only emits it because a utility uses it. Its 0.9s delay lets the fill land before the surface starts moving.

Make it yours

  • Speed: duration-900 on the wordmark is the fill time; keep the bob delay equal.
  • Liquid colour: edit the three stops in the layer's bg-[linear-gradient(…)] — or point them at new @theme tokens.
  • Partial fill: hover:[--tth02-fill:60%] stops at a progress level — useful for skill or goal meters.

Gotchas — read before shipping

  • Without the @property registration the level snaps instead of tweening — that rule is the one piece that must stay CSS.
  • Tailwind arbitrary values need calc() operators without spaces: calc(100%-var(--x)) is emitted with proper spacing.
  • The duplicate liquid layer is aria-hidden so screen readers say TIDEWATER once.

Browser support

ChromeSafariFirefoxEdge
111+16.4+128+111+

@property landed in Firefox 128, which matches Tailwind v4's floor. Older engines show the hollow outline and an instant full fill.

Techniques used in this demo

Utilitiesfirst-class utility or variant

background-clip: texttw ↗

Arbitraryneeds bracket syntax

clip-pathtw ↗

Plain CSSno Tailwind surface

@propertytw ↗

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