What is the name of the tiny bones in the human middle ear?

The ossicles are the three tiny bones in the human middle ear.

The three ossicles are the malleus, incus, and stapes, whose names are commonly translated as hammer, anvil, and stirrup. They form a chain between the eardrum and the oval window of the inner ear. Vibrations from the eardrum move through this chain and are transferred into the fluid-filled cochlea.

The ossicles do more than simply pass along sound. Their arrangement and lever action increase pressure at the oval window, helping sound energy move from air into the denser fluids of the inner ear. Two small muscles can reduce ossicle movement in response to loud sounds, although this protective reflex is not instantaneous.

The stapes is the smallest bone in the human body. It is often confused with the smallest skeletal muscle, the stapedius, which is attached to it. The ossicles develop from embryonic structures associated with the first and second pharyngeal arches.