This inquiry compares the differential effects of two learning contexts on the L2 pronunciation accuracy of L1‐Spanish/Catalan teenage learners of English. The learners engaged in either a study abroad (SA) course in the UK (n = 14) or in an intensive course at home (AH) in Spain (n = 22) for 3 weeks. Sentence‐sized production samples were evoked before and after the SA and AH courses via a delayed imitation task targeting difficult L2 phonetic and phonological features. L2 pronunciation accuracy was evaluated via voice onset time (VOT) and perceived foreign accent (FA) measures. The results pointed out that the SA learner group significantly ameliorated their VOT and decreased their FA to a greater degree than the AH learner group did. VOT gains were significantly correlated with amount of FA reduction, proposing that speakers who had evolved a more target‐like creation of oral stops were also perceived to have decreased their overall FA to a greater degree. Taken together these results emphasize the potential of SA to engender amelioration in L2 pronunciation. Divers pedagogical implications are debated.