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React Falling Text Effect

Physics-based text animation using Matter.js that makes words fall and bounce with realistic gravity and mouse interaction. Perfect for playful interfaces.

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Most text animations use predictable CSS transitions that feel mechanical and disconnected from real-world physics. This component creates realistic falling text effects using Matter.js physics engine, making words behave like physical objects with gravity, collision, and mouse interaction.

Physics-powered word dynamics

Text that falls, bounces, and responds to mouse interaction with realistic physics:

Loading component...

Built with TypeScript for React applications, using Matter.js physics engine for realistic gravity simulation, collision detection, and interactive mouse constraints with customizable triggers.

Installation

npx shadcn@latest add https://www.shadcn.io/registry/falling-text.json
npx shadcn@latest add https://www.shadcn.io/registry/falling-text.json
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add https://www.shadcn.io/registry/falling-text.json
bunx shadcn@latest add https://www.shadcn.io/registry/falling-text.json

Usage

import FallingText from "@/components/text/falling-text";

<div className="relative w-full h-full">
  <FallingText
    text="shadcn/ui components fall gracefully with physics"
    highlightWords={["shadcn/ui", "components", "physics"]}
    trigger="hover"
    backgroundColor="transparent"
    wireframes={false}
    gravity={0.5}
    fontSize="1.5rem"
    mouseConstraintStiffness={0.7}
  />
</div>

Why CSS animations feel mechanical

Traditional text effects use linear or eased transitions—mathematical curves that don't reflect how objects move in the real world. CSS animations lack the unpredictability and natural variation that makes physical movement compelling and believable.

This React component uses Matter.js to simulate realistic physics for each word, including gravity, momentum, collision detection, and friction. Words fall naturally, bounce when they hit boundaries, and respond organically to mouse interaction, creating text that behaves like physical objects.

The key insight: physics engines create believable motion. When text follows real-world physics laws instead of mathematical easing functions, it creates more engaging and natural-feeling animations that capture user attention.

Features

  • Realistic physics simulation using Matter.js engine with gravity, collision detection, and momentum
  • Interactive mouse constraints allowing users to grab, drag, and throw individual words
  • Multiple trigger options including auto-start, scroll detection, click activation, and hover triggers
  • Word highlighting system with customizable styling for emphasized terms and phrases
  • Configurable physics parameters including gravity strength, friction, restitution, and air resistance
  • Responsive design with automatic boundary detection and container-based physics worlds
  • Free open source component compatible with Next.js and shadcn/ui design systems

API Reference

FallingText

Physics-based text animation component with interactive controls.

PropTypeDefaultDescription
textstring''Text content to animate
highlightWordsstring[][]Words to highlight with special styling
trigger'auto' | 'scroll' | 'click' | 'hover''auto'Animation trigger method
backgroundColorstring'transparent'Canvas background color
wireframesbooleanfalseShow physics debug wireframes
gravitynumber1Gravity strength (0-2 recommended)
mouseConstraintStiffnessnumber0.2Mouse interaction strength (0-1)
fontSizestring'1rem'Text font size

Trigger Options

Animation activation methods:

TriggerBehaviorBest For
autoStarts immediately on mountHero sections, landing pages
scrollStarts when component enters viewportContent reveals, storytelling
clickStarts on container clickInteractive demonstrations
hoverStarts on container hoverSubtle interactive elements

Physics Parameters

Realistic motion customization:

ParameterRangeEffectRecommended
gravity0-2Falling speed0.5-1.0 for normal, 1.5+ for dramatic
mouseConstraintStiffness0-1Grab strength0.2-0.5 for gentle, 0.7+ for strong

Common gotchas

Matter.js bundle size: The physics engine adds ~100KB gzipped to your bundle. Consider code splitting or lazy loading if physics effects aren't used throughout your application.

Performance with long text: Each word creates a physics body with collision detection. For very long text (100+ words), consider breaking into smaller components or reducing physics complexity.

Mobile touch interactions: Mouse constraints work with touch events, but the interaction feels different from desktop. Consider adjusting mouseConstraintStiffness or providing different parameters for touch devices.

Container sizing issues: The physics world is created based on container dimensions. Ensure the parent container has defined width and height, or words might fall through invisible boundaries.

Highlight word matching: Highlighting uses startsWith matching, so "React" will highlight "ReactJS" but not "MyReact". Adjust the matching logic in the component for more precise control.

Integration with other components

Perfect for playful hero sections or interactive storytelling elements in Card layouts. The physics effects work excellently in creative interfaces where the unexpected movement adds delight and engagement.

For educational content, combine with Accordion components where text falls when sections expand. The component pairs well with Tabs for content reveals and works beautifully in Dialog modals for dramatic text presentations.

Questions developers actually ask