JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<ul>
    <li><span class="start">e</span></li>
    <li><span>l</span></li>
    <li><span>e</span></li>
    <li><span>m</span></li>
    <li><span>e</span></li>
    <li><span class="dy">n</span></li>
    <li><span class="end dy">t</span></li>
  </ul>

CSS

body {
  background: orange;
  text-transform: none;
  font-size: 1.5em;
  text-shadow: 0 0 1px rgba(255,255,255,0.3);
}

ul {
  list-style: none;
  margin: 60px auto;
  width: 400px;
  padding: 0;
}

li {
  position: relative;
  display: inline-block;
  height: 40px;
  line-height: 40px;
  text-align: center;
  cursor: pointer;
  margin: 0;
  padding: 0;
    float: left;
}

li span {
  display: inline-block;
  width: 20px;
  background: #27ae60;
  transition: -webkit-transform 0.1s; -webkit-transform-origin: center;
  border: #2980b9 solid;
  border-width: 0px 0px 1px 0px;
}

li:hover span, li:focus span {
  -webkit-transform: scale(1,1.1);
  border-radius: 2px;
}

li:hover span.end {
  border-radius: 2px 10px 10px 2px;
}

li:hover span.start {
  border-radius: 10px 2px 2px 10px;
}

li:hover li:focus {
  background: #1abe9e;
}

.start {
  border-radius: 10px 0 0 10px;
}

.end {
  border-radius: 0 10px 10px 0;
}

.dy {
  background-color: #2980b9;
  border: #27ae60 solid;
  border-width: 1px 0px 0px 0px;
 
}