![Example from Sheets ](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YnwCV.png)

I'm having trouble with `HLOOKUP` in Google Sheets. I'm trying to determine whether an inputted word is unique in a row and for this reason my formula searches combined ranges [that exclude itself] within an `HLOOKUP`. This is the formula I'm using [in cell E4]:

```
=HLOOKUP(E2, {B2:D3;F2:M3}, 2, false) 

```

Doubtless, there's something I'm doing wrong, because I keep getting this error: 

> 
> "HLOOKUP evaluates to an out-of-bounds range"
> 
> 
> 

What I want to happen is that it will find a match for "ice" in the range to the left [B2:D3] and the range to the right [F2:M3]...

Confusingly, the equivalent formula works for `VLOOKUP`, but not `HLOOKUP`. I've found it also works in `HLOOKUP` if I search for a single range [ie B2:D3] and not a combined range. 

So I'm a bit stuck. The combined range search works fine in `VLOOKUP`, but perhaps I need to write it differently for `HLOOKUP`? 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.