Wave Dots Loader
Five dots ripple upward in a smooth sine-like wave. A wider, more graceful sibling of the bouncing dots that fills a horizontal space nicely.
HTML
<div class="ldr-wave-dots" role="status" aria-label="Loading"> <span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span> </div>
CSS
.ldr-wave-dots {
--s: var(--ldr-size, 48px);
--c: var(--ldr-color, #3b82f6);
display: flex;
align-items: center;
gap: calc(var(--s) / 8);
height: var(--s);
}
.ldr-wave-dots span {
width: calc(var(--s) / 5);
height: calc(var(--s) / 5);
border-radius: 50%;
background: var(--c);
animation: ldr-wave-dots-rise 1.2s ease-in-out infinite;
}
.ldr-wave-dots span:nth-child(2) { animation-delay: 0.1s; }
.ldr-wave-dots span:nth-child(3) { animation-delay: 0.2s; }
.ldr-wave-dots span:nth-child(4) { animation-delay: 0.3s; }
.ldr-wave-dots span:nth-child(5) { animation-delay: 0.4s; }
@keyframes ldr-wave-dots-rise {
0%, 60%, 100% { transform: translateY(0); }
30% { transform: translateY(calc(var(--s) / -2.5)); }
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.ldr-wave-dots, .ldr-wave-dots *, .ldr-wave-dots::before, .ldr-wave-dots::after {
animation-duration: 3s;
}
}Customizing this loader
- Color: set
--ldr-coloron the element or a parent. Currently previewing#3b82f6. - Size: set
--ldr-size. Every dimension in the snippet is derived from it. Currently previewing64px. - Speed: change the duration on the
animationshorthand. Delays on the children are relative, so they keep their rhythm. - Accessibility: the root carries
role="status"and anaria-labelso screen readers announce the wait. The reduced-motion rule at the end slows the animation for users who asked for less motion.