B747-800 Advanced
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation - Track / Heading All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Returned To Clearance
Human Factors; Procedure
We were cleared to an intersection which I read back as VULCN on the FYTTE2 arrival and proceeded that way; a turn to [the] left. The controller; Chicago; came back and said something like we misunderstood or that I misunderstood; can't really remember; [and] then said we were cleared to the WELCM intersection. I then proceeded that way after I had him spell it out. VULCN and WELCM sound similar on the radio. The rest of the crew heard VULCN as well.Have Chicago spell phonetically the intersection. These two intersections sound very similar on the radio. I read back VULCN and wasn't corrected; next time I will spell out the intersection to ATC.
B747-8 Captain reported a track deviation on arrival to ORD when he navigated toward VULCN instead of WELCM as ATC intended.