In 1886, a small group of language teachers in Paris formed an association to encourage the use of phonetic notation in schools to help children acquire realistic pronunciations of foreign languages and also to aid in teaching reading to young children.

The group, led by Paul Passy, called itself initially Dhi Fonètik Tîtcerz' Asóciécon (the FTA).

The IPA's early peak of membership and influence in education circles was around 1914, when there were 1751 members in 40 countries.

World War I and its aftermath severely disrupted the Association's activities, and the Journal did not resume regular publication until 1922.

Since then, there have been several sets of changes to the Alphabet, with additions and deletions that the progress of the science of phonetics has indicated.