CSS Animation Example: Bouncing Dots

"Bouncing Dots" are a friendly, conversational loading indicator often used to show that another user is typing or a system is "thinking."

This effect combines a simple vertical translateY() transform keyframe with staggered animation-delays. By setting the animation direction to alternate, each dot naturally falls back down without needing complex keyframe steps.

Here is the code to create the Bouncing Dots animation.

<!doctype html>
<title>Example</title>
<style>
body {
    display: flex;
    justify-content: center;
    align-items: center;
    height: 100vh;
    margin: 0;
    font-family: sans-serif;
    background-color: #f0f0f0;
}

.bouncing-dots {
    display: flex;
    justify-content: center;
    align-items: center;
    gap: 8px;
}

.dot {
    width: 15px;
    height: 15px;
    background-color: #007bff;
    border-radius: 50%;
    animation: bounce 0.6s infinite alternate;
}

.dot:nth-child(2) {
    animation-delay: 0.2s;
}

.dot:nth-child(3) {
    animation-delay: 0.4s;
}

@keyframes bounce {
    to {
        transform: translateY(-15px);
        background-color: #0056b3;
    }
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
    .dot {
        animation: pulse-fade 1.5s infinite alternate;
    }
    .dot:nth-child(2) { animation-delay: 0.5s; }
    .dot:nth-child(3) { animation-delay: 1.0s; }
}

@keyframes pulse-fade {
    to { opacity: 0.3; }
}
</style>

View Output

Accessibility Considerations

As with the Infinite Spinner, we don't want to completely disable a loading indicator for users who prefer reduced motion, because they still need to know the system is loading.

Here, the prefers-reduced-motion media query swaps the kinetic bouncing animation for a gentle, slow-fading opacity pulse. We also increase the delays so the fade is subtle and not distracting.


@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
    .dot {
        /* Swap bounce for a gentle fade */
        animation: pulse-fade 1.5s infinite alternate;
    }
    .dot:nth-child(2) { animation-delay: 0.5s; }
    .dot:nth-child(3) { animation-delay: 1.0s; }
}

@keyframes pulse-fade {
    to { opacity: 0.3; }
}