Electric Text Effect: CSS Text Animation

Electric Text Effect

Hot, glowing letters with small lightning bolts that crackle around them in quick double flashes. The bolts are inline SVG polylines, each flashing with steps() on its own delay.

Also known as: lightning text css, electric glow text, crackling text effect.

VOLTAGE

Color Font size 40px Dark background

HTML

<div class="txt-electric-text">
  <span class="txt-electric-text-word">VOLTAGE</span>
  <svg class="txt-electric-text-bolts" viewBox="0 0 140 40" aria-hidden="true">
    <polyline points="14,0 19,7 15,9 22,15 18,17 24,22" style="--d: 0s" />
    <polyline points="44,40 41,33 46,31 40,26 44,24" style="--d: 0.15s" />
    <polyline points="30,5 37,8 44,3 51,9 58,4" style="--d: 0.35s" />
    <polyline points="72,0 68,6 73,8 67,14 71,16" style="--d: 0.5s" />
    <polyline points="100,40 104,33 99,31 105,26 101,23" style="--d: 0.7s" />
    <polyline points="126,1 121,7 126,9 119,15" style="--d: 0.85s" />
    <polyline points="1,27 8,21 7,28 15,22" style="--d: 1s" />
    <polyline points="139,15 132,19 134,12 126,17" style="--d: 1.2s" />
  </svg>
</div>

CSS

.txt-electric-text {
  --c: var(--txt-color, #3b82f6);
  font-size: var(--txt-size, 32px);
  font-family: system-ui, sans-serif;
  font-weight: 700;
  line-height: 1.2;
  position: relative;
  display: inline-flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  width: 7em;
  height: 2em;
  font-style: italic;
  font-weight: 900;
  letter-spacing: 0.06em;}
.txt-electric-text-word {
  color: color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 30%, #fff);
  text-shadow: 0 0 0.01em var(--c), 0 0 0.03em var(--c), 0 0 0.1em var(--c), 0 0 0.3em color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 70%, transparent), 0 0 0.6em color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 40%, transparent);
  animation: txt-electric-text-surge 1.4s steps(1, end) infinite;
}
.txt-electric-text-bolts {
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  overflow: visible;
}
.txt-electric-text-bolts polyline {
  fill: none;
  stroke: color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 45%, #fff);
  stroke-width: 1.6;
  stroke-linecap: round;
  stroke-linejoin: round;
  filter: drop-shadow(0 0 0.04em var(--c)) drop-shadow(0 0 0.1em var(--c));
  opacity: 0;
  animation: txt-electric-text-zap 1.4s steps(1, end) var(--d) infinite;
}
@keyframes txt-electric-text-zap {
  0%, 12%, 100% { opacity: 0; }
  2%, 8% { opacity: 1; }
  5% { opacity: 0.25; }
}
@keyframes txt-electric-text-surge {
  0%, 4%, 27%, 31%, 52%, 56%, 73%, 77%, 88%, 92%, 100% { transform: none; filter: none; }
  2%, 29%, 54%, 75%, 90% { transform: translateX(0.015em); filter: brightness(1.3); }
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .txt-electric-text, .txt-electric-text *, .txt-electric-text::before, .txt-electric-text::after, .txt-electric-text *::before, .txt-electric-text *::after {
    animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
  }
}

Customizing this snippet

Color: set --txt-color on the element or a parent. Currently previewing #3b82f6.
Font size: set --txt-size. Every other dimension is in em, so the whole thing scales together. Currently previewing 40px.
Speed: change the duration on the transition or animation shorthand. Staggered delays are relative, so they keep their rhythm.
Reduced motion: the rule at the end of the CSS turns the motion off for people who asked their OS for less of it. Keep it.

Electric Text Effect

HTML

CSS

Customizing this snippet

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