If found in range1, "a", if found in range2 "b"

[Jimmyjazz]

Just wondering if there's a better way to do this than multiple IFs.

I want to say for each line:

If A1 is in the list of B1:B100, return "high"; or if it's in C1:C100, return "medium"; or if it's in D1:D100, return "low"...

The lists are too long to moosh into one tall column with a vlookup. Is there a more elegant way to do it than IF(IF(IF)))?

[Oppressed1]

Research MATCH and VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP.

I prefer to build things like this in steps:
G1=if(isna(match($A1,b$1:b$100,false)),"","high")
H1=if(isna(match($A1,c$1:c$100,false)),"","medium")
I1=if(isna(match($A1,d$1:bd100,false)),"","low")

if(g1, "high", if(h1, "medium", if(i1, "low","")))

Is that too many if statment nestings?

Also consider using B:B instead of b$1:b$100, etc.

[Oppressed1]

If even those 3 are too many, even shortened as I have done, you can again work over multiple cells. One way:
J1 = if(len(G1)>0,G1,"")
K1 = if(len(J1)>0,J1,H1)
J1 = if(len(K1)>0,K1,I1)
But that's more awkward than even a 5 term nesting.

Consider
J1 = G1 & H1 & I1
for no IFs at all. Beware if more than one column has A1's value though.

[Jimmyjazz]

I need it to fill columns so having it all in one cell works best.

I guess I will use the series of IF statements. I will probably do a 4th column to check so it'll be one more level.

Thanks for the answers.

[Tony Valko]

What's wrong with something like this:

=IF(COUNTIF(B1:B100,A1),"high",IF(COUNTIF(C1:C100,A1),"medium",IF(COUNTIF(D1:D100,A1),"low","")))