Educational Content: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.
Definition of Hearing aid
Medically reviewed by Min Clinic Staff | Updated: January 2026
Hearing aid: An instrument to help in hearing. There are four common styles of hearing aids.
From largest to smallest, they are:
- Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids
- In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids
- In-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids
- Completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids
There is also a body hearing aid for very severe hearing loss. In general, hearing aids should ideally be binaural (in both ears), if the hearing loss involves both ears.