Check if a variable exists in a list in Bash

Question

I am trying to write a script in bash that check the validity of a user input.
I want to match the input (say variable x) to a list of valid values.

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Answer 1

how about

echo $list | grep -w -q $x

you could either check the output or $? of above line to make the decision.

grep -w checks on whole word patterns. Adding -q prevents echoing the list.