The word "Pottain" is a rare surname that is pronounced as /pɒt.tən/. The first syllable 'Pot' is pronounced as in the word 'pot', while the second syllable 'tain' is pronounced as in the word 'tain'. The IPA phonetic transcription helps to explain the spelling of this word. The 'o' in 'Pot' is replaced with two 't's, and the silent 'e' at the end of the word is replaced with an 'a'. Overall, the spelling of the surname 'Pottain' is unique and requires proper pronunciation to avoid confusion.