The effect of nonuniform current injection on the frequency chirp of a two section distributed feedback (DFB) laser, which is under large signal modulation, is measured while the optical intensity and optical modulation depth are fixed. By adjusting the injection current distribution in the laser, the frequency chirp can be reduced since the effects of carrier density fluctuations in the two sections on the chirp partially compensate each other. The range of the injection current ratio of the two sections is found in which the chirp is at its minimum. The reduction of the frequency chirp is predicted by a computer simulation for two section DFB lasers which accounts for the longitudinal spatial hole burning. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.