There is some debate over who invented the hearing aid. Many models of hearing aids have existed centuries before the modern hearing aids that we have today. Some invented hearing aids did not work well or were impractical. Therefore, it is difficult to determine who originally invented the hearing aid.

The first hearing aids were in the form of hand-held horns and trumpets designed to direct sound into the ear. These were most commonly made of wood or metal. Some people theorize that primitive ear trumpets made from hollowed out horns of animals were used even in prehistoric times. Hand-held horns only amplified sound about fifteen decibels, but this was helpful for mild hearing loss, especially hearing loss associated with aging.

In 1836, Alphonsus William Webster was given the first British hearing aid patent was for a curved earpiece worn on the ear. In 1880, R. G. Rhodes patented a hearing device that consisted of a piece of cardboard or thin, hard rubber that is placed against the teeth to assist in the conduction of sound to the auditory nerve. The device resembled a fan with cords for the user to control speed which affected the sound.

But, most considerations for inventor of the hearing aid do not count non-electric hearing devices. According to US patents, Francis D. Clarke and M. G. Foster were the first to get a patent for an electric hearing aid. Their invention was patented in 1880 and was called a Device for Aiding the Deaf to Hear. This electric hearing aid amplified sound against the skull to transfer the vibrations to the inner ear.

In 1890, Alfonzo Miltmore patented an electric hearing aid. Miltmore’s hearing aid had a earphone, carbon dust microphone, and cumbersome battery pack. The functioning of his hearing aid model was unreliable.

In 1898, the Dictagraph company developed a hearing aid that was based on the design of a telephone with a microphone to capture sound, but it only amplified lower tones. It was the first commercially available carbon-type hearing aid operated by batteries.

Miller Reese Hutchinson is often considered the inventor of the hearing aid. Miller Reese Hutchinson was a founder of the Akouphone company that developed the Akoulathon in 1898, which many consider to be the first electric hearing aid. It was a tabletop model.

Most resources consider that to be Miller Reese Hutchinson for his invention called the Acousticon. The Acousticon was available beginning in 1901. The Acousticon was the first body worn electric hearing aid, so it was the first hearing aid that resembled modern hearing aids.

Harvey Fletcher is the American physicist who is often credited as being who invented the hearing aid. Harvey Fletcher invented the body-worn, electronic hearing aid in the early twentieth century.