# How do I animate text letter-by-letter along a path?

> Glyph mode splits a text layer into letters and sweeps each one along the curve.

Native Motion animates a text layer as **one box**. Glyph mode instead splits the text into **one node per letter** (fonts and styling preserved), distributes the letters along the path by arc length, and writes per-character position / rotation / opacity keyframes — so the word sweeps onto a curve, ring, or spiral. This is genuinely impossible in native Motion today.

You reach it from the **Examples** tab → **Text & typography**: *Text around a circle*, *Wavy text sweep*, *Spiral text*, and *Type on a ring (fade)*. These are self-contained (they generate their own path), so you only need a text layer.

1. Select a **text layer** inside a frame (so it has a Motion timeline).
2. On the **Examples** tab, pick a glyph example, then **Apply to selection**. The text is split into letters along the curve and the original layer is hidden (kept, not deleted).
3. Tune the **Text glyphs** options below the preview.

_The Text glyphs controls, shown when a glyph example is active._

1. **Reveal** — how each letter enters: **Sweep along path** (letters ride the curve on), **Rise** / **Fade** in place, or **None** (just lay them out).
2. **Spacing** — **Natural** keeps real letter spacing centred on the path; **Fill path** spreads the letters across the whole curve (great for a full ring).
3. **Rotate glyphs** — turns each letter to follow the path tangent.
4. **Tracking** widens or tightens letter spacing; **Glyph stagger** sets the delay between each letter’s entrance.

> **Note:** Re-applying replaces the previous letters rather than piling new ones on. Place the text in a plain frame (not an auto-layout frame), which controls its own children’s positions.

---

More Motion Path help: https://systergon.com/motion-path/help