staggered-word-reveal

Staggered Word Reveal

Use When

• A short headline, intro, or pull quote should reveal word by word.
• The motion should feel editorial, premium, and restrained.
• The reveal should trigger only once when the text enters the viewport.
• The project does not need heavy GSAP SplitText behavior.

Motion Defaults

• Initial state: opacity: 0, transform: translateY(20px).
• Final state: opacity: 1, transform: translateY(0).
• Duration: 0.8s.
• Ease: cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1).
• Stagger: 0.06s to 0.08s per word. Default to 0.07s.
• Trigger: start around 20% visible, with a slight lower viewport bias.
• Replay: once only.

HTML

<h1 class="word-reveal" data-word-reveal>
  Build interfaces that feel calm, cinematic, and alive.
</h1>

CSS

Keep no-JS content visible. Hide only after JavaScript is active and before the text has been split.

.word-reveal {
  visibility: visible;
}

html.js .word-reveal[data-word-reveal]:not(.is-ready) {
  opacity: 0;
}

.word-reveal__word {
  display: inline-block;
  opacity: 0;
  transform: translate3d(0, 20px, 0);
  transition:
    opacity 0.8s cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1),
    transform 0.8s cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1);
  transition-delay: calc(var(--word-index) * 0.07s);
  will-change: opacity, transform;
}

.word-reveal.is-visible .word-reveal__word {
  opacity: 1;
  transform: translate3d(0, 0, 0);
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  html.js .word-reveal[data-word-reveal]:not(.is-ready),
  .word-reveal__word {
    opacity: 1;
    transform: none;
    transition: none;
  }
}

JavaScript

This splitter preserves spaces, avoids innerHTML, exposes the original sentence to screen readers, and unobserves after the first reveal.

document.documentElement.classList.add("js");

function splitWordReveal(element) {
  if (element.dataset.wordRevealReady === "true") return;

  const text = element.textContent || "";
  const parts = text.split(/(\s+)/);
  let wordIndex = 0;

  element.textContent = "";
  element.setAttribute("aria-label", text.trim());

  parts.forEach((part) => {
    if (!part.trim()) {
      element.appendChild(document.createTextNode(part));
      return;
    }

    const word = document.createElement("span");
    word.className = "word-reveal__word";
    word.setAttribute("aria-hidden", "true");
    word.style.setProperty("--word-index", wordIndex);
    word.textContent = part;

    element.appendChild(word);
    wordIndex += 1;
  });

  element.dataset.wordRevealReady = "true";
  element.classList.add("is-ready");
}

function initWordReveals(selector = "[data-word-reveal]") {
  const elements = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(selector));
  const reduceMotion = window.matchMedia("(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)").matches;

  if (reduceMotion || !("IntersectionObserver" in window)) {
    elements.forEach((element) => {
      element.classList.add("is-ready", "is-visible");
    });
    return;
  }

  const observer = new IntersectionObserver(
    (entries, io) => {
      entries.forEach((entry) => {
        if (!entry.isIntersecting) return;

        entry.target.classList.add("is-visible");
        io.unobserve(entry.target);
      });
    },
    {
      threshold: 0.2,
      rootMargin: "0px 0px -10% 0px",
    }
  );

  elements.forEach((element) => {
    splitWordReveal(element);
    observer.observe(element);
  });
}

document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => {
  initWordReveals();
});

Framework Notes

• React/Vue/Svelte: run the splitter after mount, then clean up observer instances on route changes.
• Framer Motion: keep the same tokens: y: 20, opacity: 0, duration 0.8, ease [0.16, 1, 0.3, 1], stagger 0.06 to 0.08, once: true.
• GSAP: use fromTo(words, { y: 20, opacity: 0 }, { y: 0, opacity: 1, duration: 0.8, ease: "expo.out", stagger: 0.07 }).

Taste Rules

• Use on short text: headlines, subheads, labels, and quotes. Avoid long paragraphs.
• Stagger words, not letters, for a calmer premium feel.
• Keep the offset subtle. Do not add bounce, rotation, or large blur.
• Animate transform and opacity only.
• Do not split text containing links, buttons, or meaningful inline markup.
• If wrapping is important, initialize after web fonts are ready.

Quick Checks

• Text is visible when JavaScript is disabled.
• Words begin at translateY(20px) and opacity: 0.
• Each word reveals once with a 0.06s to 0.08s delay.
• Repeated scrolling does not replay the animation.
• Reduced-motion users see static readable text.