Cutaneous wound healing occurs in distinct yet overlapping steps with the end goal of reforming a stratified epithelium to restore epidermal barrier function. A key component of this process is re‐epithelialization, which involves the proliferation and migration of epidermal keratinocytes surrounding the wound. This spatiotemporally controlled process resembles aspects of the epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and is thus proposed to involve a partial EMT. Here, we review current literature on the cellular and molecular changes that occur during, and the known or potential regulatory factors of cutaneous wound re‐epithelialization and EMT to highlight their similarities and differences. We also discuss possible future directions toward a better understanding of the underlying regulatory mechanisms with implications for developing new therapeutics to improve wound repair in humans. Developmental Dynamics 247:473–480, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.