Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Other / Unknown
Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Chart Or Publication; Procedure
ATC called and asked; Where are you going? I said; To WLEEE. He said; You were cleared to WEEED. I said; I thought we were cleared to WLEEE for the WLEEE 5. He said; NO!!! You are 40 miles off course. I said; OK; we will go to WEED for the WLEEE 5. Maybe my hearing is not what it used to be. Maybe the radio was not so clear. Maybe ATC did not catch my readback. Maybe we were not as sharp as usual due to the early departure time.But for sure it did not help anyone that the arrival has two very similar sounding waypoints; WEEED and WLEEE. Perhaps I can get a decent headset. Perhaps they can change the WEEED to something else so as not to sound like WLEEE. (They both have three EEEs in them)
Air carrier Captain reported a communications breakdown between flight crew and ATC regarding routing direct to similar sounding waypoints.