JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<div id="word">
    <h1><a id="h" class= "letter" href=#>H</a></h1>
    <h1><a class= "letter" href=#>E</a></h1>
    <h1><a class= "letter" href=#>L</a></h1>
    <h1><a class= "letter" href=#>L</a></h1>
    <h1><a class= "letter" href=#>O</a></h1>
</div>

CSS

body {
        /*font-family: 'Sigmar One', cursive;*/
        font-family: 'Chango', cursive;
        font-size: 115px;
        color: white;
        text-shadow: 5px 5px 5px #000;
        /* background-color: #0047b2 */
        width: 100%;
        height: 100%;
        margin: 0px;
        background: url(img/texture.png) repeat; 

    }

    #word {
        position:absolute; 
        height:100%; 
        width: 70%;
        display: table;
        padding: 0 15% 0 15%;
        background-color: rgba(0, 71, 178, .5);
    }

    h1 {
        display: table-cell;
        vertical-align: middle;
        text-align:center;
        height: 1em;

    }

    a {
        /*border: 1px solid black;*/
        display: inline-block;
        line-height: 100%;
        overflow: hidden;

    }

    a:visited, a:active {
        text-decoration: none;
        color: white;
        /*color: #E8E8E8;*/

    }

    a:link {
        text-decoration: none;
        color: white;
        text-shadow: 3px -3px 0px black, -2px 2px 5px #0056b2;

    }

    a:hover {
        text-shadow: 5px 5px 5px #000;
        color: white;
    }


#word.hovered {
    background-color: rgba(0, 102, 0, .5);
}

JavaScript

$(".letter").hover(function() {
        $(this).closest("#word").toggleClass("hovered")
    });