The correct phrase is "an elephant". In the English language, we use "an" before words that begin with a vowel sound to improve the flow of the language and the readability. The word "elephant" starts with a vowel sound - 'e', hence, "an elephant" is correct. The 'a' or 'an' rule doesn't rely solely on the actual initial letter of the next word, but more on the pronunciation of the initial sound of the word. For example, we say "an hour" instead of "a hour" because 'hour' starts with a vowel sound. Similarly, we say "a university" because it's pronounced with a 'juː' sound at the beginning - which is a semivowel - not a pure vowel sound. It's these little linguistic nuances that make language fascinating, don't you agree?
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