Middle Ear Diagram

The middle ear drawn large, bone by bone: 13 parts to name.

Middle Ear Diagram

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
More options

Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Tympanic membrane
  2. Tympanic cavity
  3. Auditory tube
  4. Head of the malleus
  5. Handle of the malleus
  6. Body of the incus
  7. Long crus of the incus
  8. Crura of the stapes
  9. Footplate of the stapes
  10. Oval window
  11. Round window
  12. Tensor tympani
  13. Stapedius

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-05 by script. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Zoom out: the whole ear

All 13 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Start here: 6 main parts 6

  1. Tympanic membrane The eardrum, between the ear canal and the middle ear. The handle of the malleus is fixed to its inner surface.
  2. Tympanic cavity The hollow air space of the middle ear, in the temporal bone.
  3. Auditory tube Joins the middle ear to the nasopharynx so pressure can equalize. Also called the Eustachian or pharyngotympanic tube.
  4. Head of the malleus The large rounded top of the malleus, which joins the incus.
  5. Body of the incus The main part, joined to the head of the malleus.
  6. Footplate of the stapes The flat base of the stapes. It sits in the oval window and passes vibrations into the inner ear.

The three ossicles: 6 3

  1. Handle of the malleus The long arm of the malleus, fixed to the tympanic membrane. Also called the manubrium.
  2. Long crus of the incus The long limb of the incus. It reaches down to join the stapes at the lenticular process.
  3. Crura of the stapes The two limbs, anterior and posterior. They join the head of the stapes to its footplate.

Walls, windows and tube: 5 2

  1. Oval window The opening into the inner ear that the stapes footplate fits into.
  2. Round window A second, membrane-covered opening into the inner ear, below the oval window.

The two muscles: 2 2

  1. Tensor tympani A small muscle beside the auditory tube. Its tendon joins the handle of the malleus. It dampens loud sounds.
  2. Stapedius The smallest skeletal muscle in the body. It pulls on the neck of the stapes to damp its vibrations.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. Wikipedia, Middle ear, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_ear : the middle ear medial to the eardrum, its hollow the tympanic cavity in the temporal bone, the ossicles malleus, incus and stapes, the auditory (Eustachian, pharyngotympanic) tube joining the cavity to the nasopharynx, the eardrum attached to the malleus handle, the stapes footplate, the stapedius and tensor tympani and the acoustic reflex. Wikipedia, Malleus, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malleus : head joining the incus, handle (manubrium) on the tympanic membrane. Wikipedia, Incus, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incus : body joining the malleus, short crus, long crus joining the stapes at the lenticular process. Wikipedia, Stapes, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stapes : footplate (base) in the oval window, anterior and posterior limbs (crura), smallest bone. Wikipedia, Stapedius muscle, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stapedius_muscle : smallest skeletal muscle, inserting into the neck of the stapes, damping its vibration. Wikipedia, Tensor tympani muscle, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensor_tympani_muscle : above the auditory tube, tendon to the handle of the malleus, dampening loud sounds. OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e 14.1, https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/14-1-sensory-perception : the oval and round windows. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-05 by script. The section is laid out after Gray's Anatomy (1918) fig. 919, Chain of ossicles and their ligaments, seen from the front in a vertical, transverse section of the tympanum (after Testut), public domain (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gray919.png); the malleus, incus and stapes follow figs. 916, 917 and 918 and the auditory tube and tensor tympani fig. 907 of the same book, public domain (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gray916.png, File:Gray917.png, File:Gray918.png and File:Gray907.png on the same site). Nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A middle ear diagram drawn much larger than life, from the eardrum to the oval window: each ossicle in its parts, the two tiny muscles, both windows and the auditory tube. Start with the 6 main parts.

Read the full guide

The chain of bones

The handle of the malleus is fixed to the eardrum and its head joins the body of the incus. The long crus of the incus reaches down to the stapes, whose two crura carry vibrations to its footplate in the oval window.

Muscles and tube

The tensor tympani pulls on the malleus and the stapedius on the stapes; both damp loud sounds. The auditory tube joins the tympanic cavity to the throat so the pressure on each side of the eardrum can even out.

  • Hammer, anvil, stirrup: the malleus, incus and stapes in the order sound passes through them.

Questions and answers

What are the three bones of the middle ear?

The malleus (hammer), incus (anvil) and stapes (stirrup), together called the ossicles. They carry vibrations from the eardrum to the oval window of the inner ear.

What does the auditory tube do?

It joins the middle ear to the nasopharynx, so air pressure can equalize between the middle ear and the throat. It is also called the Eustachian tube.

What is the smallest bone and muscle in the body?

Both are in the middle ear: the stapes is the smallest bone, and the stapedius, which pulls on it, is the smallest skeletal muscle.

More quizzes

Show 6 more

Browse Human Body Quizzes